The Regenerations of The Doctor
by My Lord Doctor6735
Summary: All of The Doctor's regenerations from the 1st Doctor to the 11th Doctor. These one-shots are meant to be as close to the canon Doctor Who universe as possible. No flames please, but constructive criticism is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

The weary and tired Doctor just manages to get to the TARDIS console. The ordeal against the Cybermen had taken its toll on the poor old man's body. The Doctor knew what was about to happen and he was scared. He had never done this before. He had only heard various things about this process and the Time Lords made it very clear that something, _anything_, can go wrong. As he tried to move his hands to operate the TARDIS, the console controls started moving on their own. The TARDIS knew that her thief was tired and was trying to assist him through this ordeal in any way she could.

Suddenly there was pounding on the door of the TARDIS. The Doctor could hear Ben and Polly's panicked voices and he silently cursed himself. How could he have forgotten his own companions? He moved as quickly as he could, his legs, no, his entire _body_, feeling like they were filled with molten metal. Nevertheless, he kept moving toward the door. He could not, in good conscious, leave his companions behind, no matter how terrible or tired he felt.

With tremendous amount of effort that almost rivaled the will of God Himself, The Doctor managed to open the door and let Ben and Polly in and quickly closed the door again, just as the TARDIS dematerialized into the Time Vortex with that old, strangled wheezing sound.

_"__Good gracious, what was I thinking, leaving the brakes on?" _thought The Doctor.

Polly quickly realized how ill The Doctor looked. "What happened to you, Doctor?" she asked, worriedly.

"Oh, I'm not sure, my dear." lied The Doctor. _"Best not to worry them."_ he thought, in his delirium. "Perhaps from an outside influence. This restless, old body of mine is wearing a bit thin."

"What do you mean 'wearing a bit thin'?" she asked, now more worried than ever.

"Oh, don't worry, child. Don't worry, don't worry." said The Doctor, feeling more tired than ever.

He then moved back to the console unit, leaving his companions with confused expressions on their faces. Something was wrong. As far as they knew, The Doctor had never acted this tired before. Never.

He moved his hands over the console, feeling the TARDIS with his old hands for the last time. At least with _these_ hands. The TARDIS was still flying herself, so her precious thief could rest during the process. He then lifted his hand up to his head feeling dizzier and dizzier. He could not take it anymore.

He collapsed.

"DOCTOR!" yelled Polly, as she rushed to the old man.

"What's happened?" she asked, fear filling her very soul.

The Doctor did not reply. _"So this is what it is like to die." _he thought. He immediately felt extreme sympathy for all of the other beings of the universe who did not have this amazing ability the Time Lords were gifted with. Suddenly, a blindingly bright light engulfed the old man's body. It remained like that for a few moments before it slowly dimmed and then faded out of existence.

Before Polly and Ben stood The Doctor, fully healed.

But at the same time, it wasn't The Doctor. At least, not _their _Doctor.

Before them was a completely different man. This man had darkish, long, rumpled hair and had small bags under his eyes, along with a slightly pointed nose. Though noticeably younger, he was still an old man.

Then suddenly, The Doctor's eyes opened. They had not changed one bit. They were still a bright, piercing blue.

He raises his head with his hand clutched to it. He quickly groaned as he got up. Then suddenly, he chuckled for a little bit.

"It's over." The Second Doctor said with his new voice.

Thus ended the life of The First Doctor, and the life of The Second Doctor began.


	2. Chapter 2

"No, no, no. Stop! NO!" cried The Doctor as he felt the regeneration process begin. The Time Lords had forcibly made him begin his second regeneration, as part of his sentence for breaking the most important rule of time: Never interfere. Though he had admitted to his violation of one of the Laws of Time, he had every reason to commit such a trespass of law. If he had stood by and done absolutely nothing, the Daleks or the Cybermen would have taken Earth and all its people and its riches for themselves. Yet despite his argument, the Time Lords still saw fit to punish him.

They had at least tried to give him a choice on his next appearance. The Doctor had refused all of his choices, for reasons being that he is 'very particular'. Because he could not or would not decide, the Time Lords said that his appearance would be decided for him. He had protested viciously, but it was in vain. They had made up their minds.

He saw nothing but blackness; a void. His whole body began to contort as he felt himself being rewritten, piece by piece. But he also felt something else too. Something was being _taken_ from him! Knowledge. Knowledge of how to fly the TARDIS, so that he would never leave Earth again. He would be trapped, unable to move in time _or_ space!

"NO, PLEASE! Stop!" he cried.

They would not listen.

He finally felt it end as he found himself in the TARDIS. He heard that wheezing noise as she traveled for twentieth-century Earth. As he felt the TARDIS land, The Doctor thought of Zoe and Jamie, his faithful companions who would forget all of their adventures with him, save their first. He felt saddened that his friends would not remember him. He also felt a sharp anger towards the Time Lords. They had taken his body, his knowledge, and his companions, but they did not have to take their memories. As quickly as the anger had come, it had gone.

"_Perhaps it is for the best."_ he thought. It would not do for them to wait around and waste their lives waiting for him. No, no this was for the best. He will miss them terribly, like all of his companions, but deep down, he knew that they would get hurt if they continued traveling with him.

"When will we see you again?" Zoe had asked.

"Time is relative." he had replied, before waving her and Jamie goodbye.

What he was trying to say was 'probably not'. However, he could not bring himself to say those words, for he still held onto the hope that, maybe, they might meet again.

Shaking himself from his reverie, he quickly reached for the door. He opened it and suddenly, he was met with extreme exhaustion.

The Third Doctor fell out of the TARDIS and collapsed into the soft grass of a field, as he lost consciousness.

Thus ended the life of The Second Doctor, and the life of The Third Doctor had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello, Ms. Smith." Said Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart. Sarah Jane Smith was holding a coat that was presumably The Doctor's.

"Oh, hello Brigadier." Sarah replied pleasantly.

"I- I just thought I'd pop in and…" she began nervously, "Well to tell you the truth, I don't quite know why I did pop in, actually."

"To see if there was any sign of the old fellow, eh?" asked the Brigadier.

"Yes. But there can't be, can there? He's been gone over three weeks now."

"Oh, that's nothing" he replied, off-handedly, "One time I didn't see him for months. What's more, when he did turn up, he had a new face. Could have been a completely different man."

"No. He knew that if he went back there, he would destroy himself. I would never see him again."

Suddenly, the sound of the TARDIS rang through the air. Sarah Jane and the Brigadier looked to their left and saw the TARDIS materialize out of thin air. The door slowly opened, but when Sarah Jane saw that withered, old hand reaching its way out, she leapt toward the TARDIS with monumental joy.

"Doctor!" exclaimed Sarah Jane.

"Sarah." The Doctor replied in an almost wheezy voice, "I got lost in the Time Vortex, but the TARDIS brought me home." he said before he collapsed on the ground. Sarah let out a gasp of shock as she quickly kneeled beside him, while the Brigadier quickly grabbed a pillow on a random chair and laid it down on the floor for The Doctor.

"Oh, Doctor, why did you have to go back?!" Sarah Jane asked, with a tremor in her voice.

"I had to face my – my fear, Sarah." The Doctor replied gravelly. "I had to face my fear." he repeated. "That was – was more important than just going on living." he said.

"Please don't die." Sarah Jane begged, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. The Doctor looked up at her, surprised.

"A tear, Sarah Jane?" he asked fondly. "No, don't cry. While this life is-" he said before he fell silent, dead. Sarah Jane closed his eyes before she finally let her tears fall free. She could not help it. The Doctor was dead. Permanently dead.

His body had died before the regeneration process could begin. He had absorbed too much radiation, too quickly. His cells were far too damaged. She kneeled down to her Doctor's body before closing his eyes. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart kneeled next to Sarah Jane, silently mourning with her. He and The Doctor may have not seen eye to eye on _many_ accounts, but he was still the Brigadier's friend and he had saved humanity more times than anyone could count, and the worst part is, the world will never know. They will never know of his sacrifices, his bravery, his genius, or his compassion.

Suddenly, she and the Brigadier saw a man sitting in midair. This person was K'anpo Rimpoche.

"It's alright" he said in a soft voice. "He is not dead."

"Oh no." Sarah gasped. "I don't think I can take much more."

"I am sorry to have startled you, my dear." K'anpo apologized.

"Won't you introduce me to your friend, Ms. Smith?" asked the Brigadier.

"Oh, um, yes. This is the Abbot of Jo Che." she said through her tears. "I mean, it looks like Jo Che, but it is really K'anpo Rimpoche, I think." she continued, her frustration clear in her tone.

"Thank you" replied the Brigadier. "That makes everything quite clear." he said, slightly exasperated, despite the grim mood of the current situation.

"The Doctor is _alive_." said K'anpo.

"No, he's not, he's dead." retorted Sarah Jane.

"All the cells of his body have been devastated by the Metabilis crystals, but you forget he is a Time Lord." he explained. "I will give the process a little push and his cells will regenerate. He will become a new man."

"Literally?" asked the Brigadier.

"Of course, he will look quite different." answered K'anpo.

"Not again." groaned Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart.

"And it will shake up the brain cells a little." he continued. "You may find his behavior somewhat… erratic."

"Well, when will all this happen?" asked Sarah Jane, a glint of hope in her tear-filled eyes.

"Well, there is no time like the present, is there?" K'anpo playfully asked, before he raised his hands toward The Doctor. "Goodbye. Look after him." he warned as he disappeared.

"Now wait a moment-" started the Brigadier.

"Look, Brigadier, look!" Sarah said excitedly. "I think it's starting."

"Well, here we go again." replied the Brigadier as he and Sarah Jane looked at The Doctor.

He suddenly turned into a new man with startling brown, curly hair with a pointed nose, and slightly puffed cheekbones.

Thus ended the life of The Third Doctor, and the life of The Fourth Doctor began.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor held on for his life as The Master started to tilt the dish. He knew that he should not have trusted The Master but there was no other way to stop the universe from dying. Now he will use the CVE's to make the Earth obey him and if they do not, he will send a signal to close the CVE and restart the universal collapse.

"_I won't let him win." _thought The Doctor, as he crawled across the walkway of the dish as it began tilting even more. With a wrench in hand, he found the cable that was connected to the dish. If he could disconnect it, The Master wouldn't be able to use the CVE anymore. Using the wrench, he pounded it against the cable a few times to loosen it. Succeeding, he dropped the wrench and started to pull and pull on the power cable.

"_Come on, come on" _thought The Doctor.

He kept pulling and pulling before the cable sprang free with a flash of sparks. However, as he was pulling on the cable, he lost his balance and fell.

Thinking quickly, The Doctor held onto the cable and soon, he was dangling above the ground.

As he dangled above the ground, he began to see visions of his enemies mocking him.

The first was The Master in his decayed form saying, _"A fitting end, wouldn't you say, Doctor?"_

Then came a Dalek, the Captain, the Cyber-Leader, Davros, a Sontaran, and then a Zygon, each of them saying, _"Doctor."_

But the final one was The Black Guardian saying, _"You will die, Doctor!"_

The Doctor was suddenly feeling tired, but he managed to swing to one of the dish's supports, before letting go of the dangling cable. He tried to hang on, but he suddenly lost his grip and he plummeted to the ground.

His companions, Adric, Tegan, and Nyssa, who were watching the whole time, gasped as they saw their precious Doctor fall to the ground.

They quickly rushed over to their friend as he laid on the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.

"Doctor?" Nyssa asked nervously.

"Doctor?" Tegan asked as well.

Suddenly, The Doctor began to see his past companions, the ones he had traveled with since that fateful day he had regenerated into this incarnation.

He saw Sarah Jane, Harry, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stuart, Leela, K9, and Romana in her first and second incarnations. Each and every one of them asked _"Doctor?"_ worriedly.

"Doctor? Doctor?!" Adric asked, worry in his eyes as well. The Doctor looked toward him and smiled slightly.

"It's the end," he replied, "but the moment has been prepared for."

He then reached his hand behind him. His companions looked toward where he was reaching and were surprised to see The Watcher.

"The Watcher!" Adric gasped.

The Watcher walked toward The Doctor's outstretched hand, and was suddenly absorbed into The Doctor's dying body, in a small flash of green light.

"He was The Doctor all the time!" Nyssa suddenly realized.

The Fourth Doctor took one last look at his faithful companions before he was engulfed in a white light that covered his entire body, giving it a slightly cracked appearance. As the light began to fade away, The Doctor opened his eyes and he was suddenly a young man with neck length brownish-blonde hair. The Fifth Doctor then gave his astounded companions a great, big smile and then sat up, still clothed in his predecessor's clothes.

Thus ended the life of The Fourth Doctor, and the life of The Fifth Doctor began.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor ran as fast as he could, with an unconscious Peri in his arms, towards the TARDIS. Jek's base had just been destroyed right behind him. He quickly picked up his pace, even in his weakened state. The Doctor and Peri had both been poisoned with spectrox toxaemia, a rare poison with the only cure being the milk from the queen bat on the planet Androzani Minor. The Doctor had the cure, enough for both of them, but he had to get to the TARDIS quickly. He saw her, standing patiently as always, waiting for her thief.

The Doctor set Peri down against the TARDIS, then put his hands in his pockets, fishing for the TARDIS key. Feeling the cool, jagged metal against his fingers, he quickly pulled it out, but in the process, also pulled out the vial containing the queen bat's milk. His fingers numb, he dropped the vial and it opened, the milk pouring out.

The Doctor, panicking at the moment, quickly retrieved the container and looked to see if there was any left. There was, but only enough for one person.

"_I'll worry about that later." _he thought, thinking of nothing but getting the TARDIS open and getting Peri to safety.

He finally got the TARDIS open and, picking up Peri again, hurried into his ship. The Doctor quickly set his companion down and, feeling weak, crawled toward the TARDIS console unit. He then pushed a few buttons, not caring where they were going, just that they needed to get off this planet. The TARDIS dematerialized just before explosions were set off, right where the police box had been just moments ago.

The Doctor then turned toward Peri. "Peri! Peri, can you hear me?" he gasped, feeling his breathing become more and more labored.

Not getting any response, The Doctor tried again.

"Open your mouth. You must drink this." he said as he poured the cure into her mouth and down her throat.

His task complete, The Doctor gently put her down onto the floor before groaning in pain, feeling the poison work through his body.

"Is – is this death?" he asked himself, before falling down onto the floor himself.

Peri, who had just woken up feeling _much_ better, raised her head and looked over to her Doctor.

"Doctor, what's happened?" she asked, starting to feel afraid as she lifted his head into her lap to give him some support.

"Peri, I – I see Professor Jackij knew his stuff. Good old Jackij." he said fondly.

"Jackij? You got the bat's milk?"

"Contains an anti-vesicant, I imagine. Interesting."

"Where is it?" she asked, looking around.

"What?"

"The bat's milk." she replied, slightly annoyed.

"Finished. Only enough for you." he said as it got harder and harder for him to breathe.

"There must be something I can do. Tell me!" she said, the fear now evident in her voice as she grasped his hand in hers.

"Too late Peri. Going soon." he said as he looked up into her eyes. "Time to say goodbye."

"Don't give up!" Peri begged as she began to cry. "You can't leave me now!"

"I might regenerate. I don't know. It feels different this time." The Doctor replied as his eyes suddenly gazed into nothingness. Peri then laid down her Doctor's head and stood back.

All of a sudden, he saw Tegan who said, "What was it you always told me, Doctor? Brave heart? You'll survive, Doctor."

Then he saw Turlough. "You must survive. Too many of your enemies will delight in your death, Doctor."

Then he also saw Kamelion. "Turlough speaks the truth, Doctor."

And Nyssa. "You're needed. You mustn't die, Doctor."

And finally… Adric? "You know that, Doctor."

"Adric?" The Doctor replied, in his delirium.

Then Nyssa again. "You mustn't die, Doctor."

Now The Doctor saw The Master. Why would he be seeing The Master?

"No, my dear Doctor, you must die! Die, Doctor! Die, Doctor!" he laughed.

As The Fifth Doctor experienced these strange visions, his appearance began to change. It had begun. His once straight hair and now become curly again and it was also blond and his eyes had a sharp gaze, like that of a hawk or an eagle. He immediately sat up straight and looked at his hands.

"Doctor?" Peri asked as she moved, nervously towards him.

"You were expecting someone else?" The Sixth Doctor replied, albeit slightly arrogantly.

Peri was beyond confusion. Her Doctor had never sounded that… arrogant. At least, not around her. "I – I – I –" she stuttered, but was cut off.

"That's three I's in one breath. Makes you sound rather egotistical, young lady." said The Doctor.

"What happened?" she asked, still wary around this new man.

"Change, my dear. And it seems not a moment too soon." he answered with a very proud grin.

Thus ended the life of The Fifth Doctor, and the life of The Sixth Doctor began.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I know this is the shortest chapter. But seriously, he regenerated after he HIT HIS HEAD ? I really didn't have much to go on. Sorry.**

* * *

The Doctor was dead. Again. He had sacrificed much of his chronal energy to stop the Lamprey, a pan-dimensional being, from destroying all of reality. He had used his chronal energy to trap the creature in the Spiral Chamber, an ancient and powerful device created by the Time Lords.

Currently, he was operating the TARDIS controls, which was materializing in deep space. He knew that he had little time before he regenerated again. He wanted to look at the universe with his current eyes one last time before going.

"Must hurry." he mumbled to himself as he ran around the console unit. Suddenly, the TARDIS was hit by an unknown force. The force of the impact forced The Doctor's head into the console. He body was unable to take anymore trauma due to the loss of most of his chronal energy. This final injury was a killing blow. Then suddenly, the Rani boarded the TARDIS. A Rani soldier moved toward The Doctor as the regeneration process began. Curious, the Rani soldier moved The Doctor around to see his face. His face was surrounded by colorful spirals. It had begun. There was the audible sound of cracking bone as The Sixth Doctor's face and bone structure rearranged themselves. Within a few moments, The Doctor was a completely different person.

He had dark brown hair, almost black. His nose was slightly rounded and his cheekbones were a little pronounced.

Thus ended the life of The Sixth Doctor, and the life of The Seventh Doctor began.


	7. Chapter 7

"CLEAR!" shouted a medic as he used shock panels to revive The Doctor. But it was without use, for they had already killed him. He had been shot three times. Once in the shoulder and twice in the leg. He had unknowingly walked straight in the middle of a gang war. The bullets, however, were not the reason The Doctor was dead. The ones who killed him were the medics, for they did not realize that they were operating on a Time Lord. They believed him to be human.

Before the surgery began, they had taken x-rays of him. These x-rays showed his two hearts. Needless to say, this caused much confusion for the doctors. They then assumed that he was fibrillating and that his two hearts meant that he had a double exposure. The hospital then called in their best cardiologist, Dr. Grace Holloway, to attempt to stabilize The Doctor's heartbeat, or rather heart_beats._

Just as she was about to make the cut and operate, The Doctor woke up, startling the medic team. He quickly looked around and saw Grace with a surgical knife in her hand.

He quickly grabbed her wrist as she leaned down. "What you are about to do, _stop!" _he said calmly, yet urgently. The Doctor felt more afraid than he had in his life, or _lives._

"Mr. Smith," she said, not knowing his real name, "you're going to be alright."

"No, I am not human. I am not like you." He replied, trying to convince her that if they did this, he would be killed.

"Nobody is, Mr. Smith."

"Please, I need a beryllium atomic clock. This is 1999, isn't it?" he asked.

"It's okay, I've got it." said one of the medics as he put an anesthetic mask over The Doctor's face.

"Try not to speak, Mr. Smith." Grace said, trying to sound soothing. "We've already taken out all the bullets, and now we're going to listen to your heart, find out why it's so wild, and then I'm going to fix it. You'll be fine. Okay, he's under."

Suddenly, he sits back up, mumbling. "Timing malfunction. The Master, he's out there. He's out there."

As he was rambling, the medics gently pushed him back onto the operating table.

"Scalpel." Grace commanded.

"I've got to stop him." breathed The Doctor before he finally passed out.

"Somehow I don't think this man's name is Mr. Smith, do you?" Grace asked her fellow doctors.

During the operation, a probe got stuck in his circulatory system, killing him. He was declared dead. They later put him in the morgue where, three hours later, The Seventh Doctor regenerated into his eight body. It was a miracle. The anesthesia had nearly _destroyed_ the regeneration process. This man had long, wavy brown hair that reached his neck, blue eyes like his first and second bodies, and a slightly rounded nose like his sixth incarnation.

Thus ended the life of The Seventh Doctor, and the life of The Eight Doctor began.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This is basically 'The Night of the Doctor' in written form. Hope I did well. :) Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, it's amazing characters, or the concept of regeneration. If I did, then I would be rich. :)**

* * *

A spaceship was hurtling through space, rapidly approaching the planet of Karn.

"Help me, please. Can anyone hear me?!" a woman asked into her communicator. The ship was rapidly spiraling out of control. This woman, Cass, had teleported the rest of her crew to safety. She could only teleport them and not herself, because someone had to stay behind and operate the controls manually. The ship had been too badly damaged. The automatic controls would not work anymore.

_"Please state the nature of your ailment or injury." _replied the ship's computer.

"I'm not injured, I'm crashing. I don't need a doctor." Cass replied, thinking that the computer had misunderstood her cry for help.

"A clear statement of your symptoms will help us provide the medical practitioner appropriate to your individual needs."

_"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN COMPUTER!" _Cass thought. "I'm trying to send a distress signal." she said instead. "Stop talking about doctors." she ordered.

"I'm a doctor." a voice said from behind.

Cass jumped, startled and turned around in her seat to see a man with curly brown hair and had dirt and sweat on his face.

"But probably not the one you were expecting." finished The Doctor, with a small, barely noticeable smile.

He walked toward her asking, "Where are the rest of the crew?"

"Teleported off."

"But your still here." he said, with slight confusion in his voice.

"I teleported them." she explained, noticing his confusion.

"Why you?" The Doctor asked as he looked away.

"Everyone else was screaming." she said, matter-of-factly.

The Doctor swiftly turned back to her with a smile on his face. "Welcome aboard." he said in a congratulatory manner.

"Aboard what?" Cass asked excitedly, with a smile on her face. She couldn't help it. Not only was she not alone anymore, but there was something about this man that was. . . well, _magnetic_.

"I'll show you." he said simply, while offering her his hand.

She gratefully accepted it as she swiftly got out of the pilot's seat. With her hand in his, The Doctor quickly led her through the quickly deteriorating spacecraft.

"Where are we going?" asked Cass.

"Back of the ship." he answered.

"Why?"

"Because the front crashed first. Think it through." he said playfully. They almost managed to go through the entry way to the back of the ship, when suddenly, the bulkhead door seals itself.

"Oh!" The Doctor said, slightly annoyed. "Why did you do that?" he asked the door.

"Emergency protocols." Cass explained, mistakenly thinking he was talking to her.

The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver, trying to open the door.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Cass."

"You're young to be crewing a gunship, Cass." he observed.

"I wanted to see the universe. Is it always like this?"

"If you're lucky." he said with a smile.

The bulkhead door finally opened revealing the back of the ship. Inside of it was the TARDIS. Cass looked at it with a worried expression. This was his ship?

"Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside." said The Doctor, who noticed her worried face.

_"I always loved saying that."_ he thought with a smile.

"What did you say?" she asked, now even more worried. "Bigger on the inside. is that what you said?"

"Yes, come on. You'll love it!"

"Is this a TARDIS?!"

The Doctor was starting to get confused now. Why was she acting so worried?

"Yes, but you'll be perfectly safe," he answered, thinking she was just scared of how small the TARDIS appeared. "I promise you." he said reassuringly, as he reached for her arm.

"Don't touch me!" Cass replied angrily, as she moved away.

Understanding dawned on The Doctor's face. Why did this damn war have to happen?

"I'm not part of the war. I swear to you, I never was." he said.

"Your a _Time Lord!_" she exclaimed, the hatred apparent in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm a Time Lord, but I'm one of the nice ones." he tried to explain.

"Get away from me!" she said as she backed away, past the bulkhead door.

"Well look on the bright side, I'm not a Dalek!" The Doctor said, slightly getting annoyed.

"Who can tell the difference anymore!?" Cass said, almost laughing, as she slammed her palm on the button controlling the door. It quickly shut itself closed, separating her from The Doctor.

"Cass!" he yelled, reaching for his screwdriver.

"It's deadlocked. Don't even try."

"Cass, just open the door. I'm trying to help!" he exclaimed.

"Go back to your battlefield. You haven't finished yet. Some of the universe is still standing." Cass replied with contempt in her voice.

"I'm not leaving this ship without you." The Doctor proclaimed.

"Then you're gonna die right here. Best news of the day." she said with a smile on her face.

"Cass. Cass. Cass!" he repeated over and over, not leaving where he was standing.

The ship continued to fall apart as it soon broke through Karn's atmosphere. Not far off, an old woman dressed in red robes was looking at the falling ship. She had dark hair with streaks of grey in it. This woman was named Ohila. She was the leader of The Sisterhood of Karn. She continued to watch as the ship fell and fell until finally. . .

_**BOOM!**_

As Ohila looked at the wreckage of the gunship, she turned to her sisters and pronounced, "And here he is at last. The man to end it all. My sisters, The Doctor has returned to Karn. We have always known in our bones that one day he would return here. Such a pity he's dead."

Indeed, The Doctor was dead. Again. But the Sisterhood quickly extracted his body from the wreckage and performed a spell that would temporarily bring him back to life.

The Doctor laid down with his head against what looked like an altar. Suddenly, he gasped, shouting, "CASS!"

However, he quickly took in his surroundings, seeing women dressed in red robes carrying goblets, from which their contents was smoking.

Ohila quickly kneeled down to the weakened Doctor. "If you refer to your companion, we are still attempting to extract her from the wreckage."

"She wasn't my companion." he replied as he clutched his left side, not noticing that his head had a gash and that small amounts of blood was seeping from it, albeit slowly.

"She's almost certainly dead. No one could survive that crash." Ohila stated.

"I did." he objected.

"No. We restored you to life, but it is a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes." she said somberly.

"Four minutes? That's ages. What if I get bored, or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess?" The Doctor joked, looking around the room at that last statement. "Bring me knitting." he again joked.

"You have so little breath left. Spend it wisely." Ohila chastised.

"Hang on. Is it you? Am I back on Karn?" he asked as he observed his surroundings more closely. "You're the Sisterhood of Karn, Keepers of the Flame of utter boredom." he mocked.

"Eternal Life." Ohila corrected.

"That's the one."

"Mock us if you will, but our elixir can trigger your regeneration, bring you back. Time Lord science is elevated here on Karn. The change doesn't have to be random."

The Doctor perked up at this. Not random?

Knowing she had his attention now, Ohila gestured at the goblets the other women were holding. "Fat or thin, young or old, man or woman?"

The Doctor looked around the room, understanding what the goblets contents could do for him now. But there still wasn't something right.

"Why would you do this for me?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"You have helped us in the past." she stated simply. It was true. During his time as The Fourth Doctor, he had helped the Sisterhood fix the Eternal Flame when it was dying. But he remembered that particular adventure _quite_ clearly.

"You were never big on gratitude." he said.

"The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all reality. You are the only hope left."

The Doctor nearly groaned. Again, people were trying to wrap him up in this infernal war. He called himself The Doctor for a reason. He does not fight.

"It's not my war. I will have no part of it." he said firmly.

"You can't ignore it forever." Ohila said wisely.

"I help where I can. I will not fight."

"Because you are 'the good man', as you call yourself?

"I call myself The Doctor." he said getting irritated.

"It's the same thing in your mind." Ohila observed.

"I'd like to think so." The Doctor admitted.

"In that case, _Doctor_, attend your patient." she replied as two other women brought Cass' body in and laid her on the altar. The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver, scanning her to see if there was anything that could be done. He knew that there wasn't, but he also wasn't going to give up hope.

"You're wasting your time. She is beyond even our help."

"She wanted to see the universe." he said sadly as he looked upon her dead body.

"She didn't miss much. It's very nearly over." Ohila stated.

"I could have saved her. I could have got her off, but she wouldn't listen."

"Then she was wiser than you." she stated with a slightly aggressive tone to her voice. "She understood there was no escaping the Time War. You are a part of this, Doctor, whether you like it or not."

"I would rather die!" he stated.

"You're dead already. How many more will you let join you? If she could speak, what would she say?"

"To me? Nothing. I'm a Time Lord. Everything she despised."

"She would beg your help, as we beg your help now. The universe stands on the brink." Ohila begged, her voice starting to choke up with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Will you let it fall? Fast or strong, wise or angry. What do you need now?"

The Doctor stood over Cass' body as he took her bandolier from her body, his soul breaking into pieces. The war had taken almost everything from him. He couldn't even help people because he was too busy running away from the war and ignoring it, just to uphold his principles as The Doctor.

_"This must end."_ he thought. Giving up all hope now, The Doctor turned toward Ohila and said, "Warrior."

"Warrior?" she asked.

He nodded. "I don't suppose there's any need for a doctor anymore."

Ohila took a goblet that The Doctor hadn't noticed before and gave it to him. "I took the liberty of preparing this one myself."

He gingerly held up the goblet and observed it carefully.

"Get out, GET OUT!" he shouted, then calmly said, "All of you."

The rest of the Sisterhood quickly dispersed out of the room, Ohila being the last to go.

"Will it hurt?" he asked just before she left.

"Yes." she said simply.

"Good." he replied. It would not feel like regeneration if it did not hurt. "Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly, friends, companions I've known, I salute you. And Cass, I apologize."

He stared into his reflection on the goblet, taking one last look at this body before saying, "Physician, heal thyself."

He then drank.

At once, his body began to rapture as golden light appeared from every part of his body. He stared in fascination. The Eighth Doctor then groaned and doubled over, the light becoming more and more intense. And then it was over.

"Is it done?" Ohila asked the new man in front of her.

The young man answered by taking Cass' bandolier and wrapping it around himself, looking ready for battle.

Thus ended the life of The Eighth Doctor and, for awhile, The Doctor himself.

The young man then stared at his refelction before leaving Karn once again. Knowing that it was time to fight.

_Doctor no more._


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't suppose we'll ever know if we actually succeeded. But at worst, we failed doing that right thing as opposed to succeeding in doing wrong." said The War Doctor to his future selves and companion.

The young woman, what was her name? Oh, Clara, that's right. _Clara_ said, "Life and soul you are."

He grinned at that, knowing she was just being playful.

"What is it actually called?" The Tenth Doctor asked, refering to the painting of Gallifrey in battle.

"Well, there's some debate. Either _No More,_ or _Gallifrey Falls_." replied The Eleventh Doctor.

"Not very encouraging." stated The War Doctor.

"How did it get here?" asked The Tenth.

"No idea." answered The Eleventh. Both The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors had their glasses on while studying the painting, attempting to probably figure something out. Something they missed.

The Tenth Doctor quickly gave up. "Well, _there's_ something we don't know, isn't there? he asked sarcastically.

"I should certainly hope so." replied The War Doctor. "Well gentlemen," he said as he stood up, "it has been both an honor and a privilege."

"Likewise-" began The Tenth.

"Doctor." finished The Eleventh.

The War Doctor looked at both of them with a grin on his face. "And I should grow older to be half the man _you_ are, Clara Oswald, I shall be happy, indeed." he stated as he looked at her, with the other Doctors looking a little uncomfortable.

"That's right, eh?" she giggled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

The War Doctor looked serious again. "I won't remember this, will I?" he asked.

"The time stream's are out of sync." explained The Eleventh Doctor, confirming what The War Doctor suspectedd. "You can't retain it, no."

"So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey, rather than burn it. I'll have to live with that." he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "But for now, I am The Doctor again. Thank you."

The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors both slightly nodded at him with small grins on their faces. The War Doctor then turned towards the three TARDIS's standing in the room.

"Which one is mine?" he joked.

Everyone smiled at that.

"Ah." he pretended to remember and entered the worn, battle hardened TARDIS, before dematerializing with that old, wheezing sound.

_"I really should fix the brakes."_ he thought, as he reached for the console. But as he began to type in his destination, he heard a faint shimmering. He looked down and saw that his hands had started to glow, with regeneration energy beginning to pour out of his body.

"Oh yes, of course. I suppose that makes sense." said The Doctor as he, once again, began feeling that surge of energy throughout his body. "Wearing a bit thin." he stated. He had fought in the Time War for so long, that he hadn't even _noticed _how old his body was getting. He spent all of his time and effort into ending the war. But this is a good thing. He started to grin as the glow of regeneration reached his neck.

"I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time." he joked. And then it started.

Energy poured from his hands and around his head as he slowly became a new man. His moustache had disappeared, as had his hair, though not completely. As the process continued he gave out a great big smile, ready to begin a new life.

Thus ended the life of The War Doctor, and the life of The Ninth Doctor began.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter. But I also hope you guys leave a few reviews. I'm getting a lot of views, which makes me ****_very_**** happy, but I've only got two reviews. I would ****_really, really, REALLY _****appreciate all of your feedback. It would help me improve my writing very much. Well now, on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the concept or idea of regeneration. If I did, I would be RICH. :)**

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"Rose, you've done it." said The Doctor as the last Dalek was disintegrated. "Now stop. Just let go!"

_"__How can I let go of this?" _she asked, her eyes continuing to glow. This feeling, this _power_, was incredible! She can do anything now. She can bend time and space to her will, make every single tragedy that had ever happened disappear with just a thought! But . . . why did her head start to hurt? _"I bring life." _she said, stretching out her power again, bringing Jack back from the dead.

"But this is _wrong!_" The Doctor exclaimed. "You can't control life and death." he tried to explain. She most certainly could, but it was a perversion of nature, a violation of time itself. There would always be consequences for meddling in these types of affairs. The Doctor learned this the hard way, a long time ago, and paid the price for it. He wasn't about to let Rose suffer or pay such a price.

_"__But I can." _Rose/Bad Wolf corrected, misunderstanding his meaning.

The Doctor just stared at her, his expression starting to become one of pure horror.

_"__The sun and the moon, the day and night."_ she said with an authority that just wasn't human. _"But why do they hurt?" _she asked.

"The power's gonna kill you and it's _my fault!"_ he exclaimed, his hearts beginning to break, as he looked down to the floor. He couldn't bear to look at her, he was so ashamed. He should never have brought her to travel with him! Will he ever learn?

_"__I can see everything."_ she stated. The Doctor looked up from the ground, looking at Rose/Bad Wolf again. Her eyes. . . . They were still glowing, but with less intensity than before. He could start to see her dark green eyes again. That meant . . . there was still hope!

_"__All that is, all that was, all that ever could be."_ she proclaimed, but with a slight tremor in her voice.

The Doctor continued to stare at her, his eyes widening as she said those words. He couldn't believe it! He quickly got up off the ground and looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"That's what I see," he said, "all the time!" It was true. That was part of being a Time Lord. That was how he could know when something was wrong with time. It was how he knew which moments in time were fixed or in flux. "And doesn't it drive you mad?" he asked, genuinely curious.

_"__My head!" _she said, now clearly in pain.

"Come here." said The Doctor, quickly snapping out of his reverie.

_"__It's killing me!" _she groaned in agony as the pain kept getting worse and worse.

"I think you need a doctor." he replied, jokingly, with a slight smile. He knew what he needed to do now. He knew what would happen if he did this, but right now he simply didn't care. All he cared about was making sure Rose was _safe_, even if it cost him his life. He will _always_ keep her safe.

She took his hands as he reached out to her. He moved closer to her, telling her with that everything was going to be fine, without saying a single word. He leaned in closer and closer until, finally. . .

He kissed her.

As he kissed her, light began to pour out of her eyes and mouth and into his, with a shimmering sound. Even as he slowly pulled away, the energy continued to move out of her mouth and eyes as it was transferred into him. The energy took the appearance of glowing, golden stardust. As the last of the light left Rose's body, she slowly fainted as she closed her eyes, exhausted. However, The Doctor was right there to catch her. Her head fell into the crook of his arm. He gently laid her on the floor, needing to do one last thing.

But as he stood back up to do it, The Doctor felt this power that he had just absorbed. It was . . . _incredible_! Suddenly, he realized what he could do. With this power, he would never have to feel loss again. He could bring back his people. He could bring back the Time Lords. He could bring back his family: his children, his grandchildren, mother, and father and so _many_ more. He could prevent the Time War from ever happening!

As these thoughts came to his mind, he suddenly heard a voice. A voice that he had never heard before in his lives, and yet it was so _familiar_.

_No one's ever meant to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god - a vengeful god._

_A vengeful god._ Those three words echoed in his mind. No. That wasn't what he wanted. That wasn't what he _ever_ would want. This power didn't belong to any one person. It couldn't. They would cause more harm than good. He then remembered what he told Rose back on Platform One.

_"__Everything has its time and everything dies."_

All these thoughts raced through his head as The Doctor stood back up. He knew what needed to be done. With his eyes glowing with the power of the Time Vortex, The Doctor faced the front of the open TARDIS, and let out a deep breath. The light then left his body and mouth and flew towards the interior of the TARDIS, returning back to where it belonged and once it was returned, the TARDIS doors closed with a _SLAM_.

Once the light left him, The Doctor opened his eyes and stumbled backwards. Once he regained his footing, he grinned slightly and then leaned down to pick up Rose. He gently caressed her cheek while moving stray strands of hair out of her face. Simultaneously, he pressed two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. She was still alive. The Doctor then picked her up, and carried her into the TARDIS. Once inside, he gently laid her on the floor again and went to the console unit. He then set the TARDIS to go into deep space, with the time rotor jumping up and down as she started to leave.

As she dematerialized with that classic, old wheezing sound, The Doctor couldn't help but feel guilt. He had left Jack behind. But he had to. He knew what Rose had done to him. She had made him The Man Who Can Never Die. This made Jack a fixed point in time. For some reason, The Doctor just couldn't be around him, much less _look _at him. If Jack continued to travel with him, it would risk the TARDIS's proper functioning and the TARDIS was broken enough. Plus, the TARDIS wouldn't allow it. The Doctor quickly shook off his guilt, as he heard Rose groan as she woke up.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Don't you remember?" he asked, pretending to be confused. He thought that this would happen.

"It's like. . ." she began hesitantly, "there was this singing."

"That's right." he replied pleasantly. "I sang a song, and the Daleks ran away." he said with a smile.

_"__They'd have to, with my singing."_ he thought to himself as he smiled.

Rose ignored this. "I was at home." she started again. "No, I wasn't. I-I was in the TARDIS, and there was this light." she said, desperately trying to remember what had just happened.

As Rose kept talking, The Doctor suddenly looked down at his hand and saw, with slight sadness, that his hand had started to glow with a familiar tingling sensation, before the glow faded and his hand had returned to normal.

_"__It's started."_ he thought. He knew what would happen if he absorbed the power of the Time Vortex and he was prepared to accept the consequences. But now, looking at his now normal hand, he couldn't help but feel a small amount of despair. He had grown to love this body, even if the ears were slightly large and a bit conspicuous. But he knew that it was worth it if Rose was safe. He then silently cursed himself for not telling her about this process before. He didn't want to scare her. But it was too late to tell her now. She'll just have to see for herself. He made a mental note to tell her, after it was completed. If she didn't become scared and was still around, that is. All these thoughts passed through The Doctor's head in a moment.

"I can't remember anything else." she finished.

The Doctor then fondly looked to her. She realized that he was looking at her and so she looked back at him.

He stayed silent for another moment, before saying simply, "Rose Tyler." He then chuckled.

"I was going to take you to so many places." he continued, "Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the _planet_ Barcelona." he clarified. "You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses!" he laughed.

Still lying down, Rose chuckled slightly at that.

"Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny!" The Doctor said, smiling.

"Then why can't we go?" Rose asked.

"Maybe you will, and maybe _I_ will, but not like this." he replied, as though it was the most normal thing to say, which for him, it was.

"You're not making sense." Rose said as she got up.

"I might never make sense again. I might have two heads. Or no head." he joked. "Imagine me, with no head. And don't say that's an improvement." he mock warned her. "But it's a bit dodgy, this process." said The Doctor, suddenly becoming serious.

Rose's smile faltered before disappearing completely. What was going on? What is he talking about? What process?

"You never know what you're going to end up with." he continued before he was blasted away from the console by a blast of light.

"Doctor!" Rose cried, starting to rush toward him.

_"__Stay away!"_ he exclaimed, clutching his stomach.

She reluctantly stayed where she was, worry etched all over her face.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on." she demanded.

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that." he answered with his face scrunched up in pain. Gasping, he continued, "Every cell in my body is dying."

"Can't you do something?" Rose asked. She couldn't lose him. Not after she just got him back.

"Yeah. I'm doing it now. Time Lords have this little trick. It's sort of a way of cheating death." he said reassuringly. "Except," he paused. "It means I'm going to change. And I'm not gonna see you again. . ."

Rose started to get really worried and really confused all at the same time.

". . . not like this," he continued, "not with this daft, old face." he finished with a slight grin. "And before I go-" he began again.

"Don't say that!" she interrupted.

"Rose." said The Doctor. Rose quickly closed her mouth, letting him speak again.

"Before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic." he grinned. "Absolutely _fantastic_!" he replied with genuine wonder, respect, and admiration for the young woman in front of him. But he couldn't help but say just one more jibe. "And you know what?" he asked.

Rose simply shook her head, silently asking 'what'.

"So was I." The Doctor finished with a grin.

Rose couldn't help but respond with a grin of her own and then she nodded in agreement. Smiling with contentment, The Ninth Doctor suddenly threw his arms and head backwards with streams of regeneration energy pouring out of his hands and head.

Rose quickly shielding her eyes from the sudden and intense light that appeared from The Doctor's body. As the energy continued to pour out of his body at an extremely fast rate, The Doctor's body and features changed as hair began to sprout out of his head. Lots of hair.

As the energy stopped, a new man suddenly threw his head forward and slightly gasped.

To say that Rose was in bewilderment and confusion would have an understatement. She stared at this new man with her mouth open in shock. This man was handsome with a tall, slim body, a finely boned face, thick brown hair, his pale skin slightly scattered with freckles, and big, dark brown eyes.

He looked toward her. "Hello." he said casually. "Okay- ooh." he stumbled. He suddenly moved his tongue around in his mouth. "New teeth. That's weird. So, where was I?" he asked himself. Rose stood by the coral pillar, watching this man.

"Oh, that's right!" he remembered. "Barcelona."

Rose just continued to stand where she was, still too shocked to understand what had just happened.

Noticing her expression, The Tenth Doctor playfully smiled at her, showing his perfectly white and straight teeth, before leaning toward the console unit, typing in some coordinates with his new hands.

"Six pm . . . Tuesday." he said as he put the coordinates into the computer, while also turning some sort of knob. Rose just stood behind a coral pillar, half hidden from sight, while watching The Doctor.

"October . . . 5006 . . ." he continued as he finished typing, "On the way to Barcelona!" he finished as he straightened up and looked toward Rose, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Now then . . . what do I look like?" he asked. Rose opened her mouth, but she could not find words at the moment. She was still in shock.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Don't tell me." he interrupted, not giving her a chance to speak. "Let's see . . . two legs, two arms, two hands . . . ." said The Doctor as he inspected his brand new body. He then placed his left hand on his right wrist as he circled it. "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle." he observed before his hands flew to his head. "Hair! I'm not bald!" he exclaimed happily. Rose now looked completely shocked as she looked at him inspecting himself. The Doctor, completely oblivious to Rose's discomfort, ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, oh! Big hair." he stated as his hands left his hair, leaving it more ruffled than ever, and felt his temples.

"Sideburns, I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin." he joked, before he slapped his stomach. "Little bit thinner." He noticed. "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it."

Then, with the air of someone making a massive discovery, he said, "I have got . . . a mole. I can feel it." he stated as he rotated his shoulders. Rose was breathing heavily, now looking very scared, while The Doctor continued to inspect himself, still not noticing her fear. "Between my shoulder blades. There's a mole." he continued, "That's all right. Love the mole." he said before turning back to Rose, finished with his self-inspection. "Go on then, tell me." he said as he straightened up, ready for assessment. "What do you think?" he asked with a big smile.

Rose just stared at The Doctor for a moment before she spoke again. "Who are you?" she asked quietly and timidly.

The Doctor's face fell, looking slightly crestfallen. "I'm The Doctor."

She shook her head, not believing him. "No . . . . Where is he? Where's The Doctor? What have you _done_ to him?!" she asked, her voice rising on that last sentence.

"You saw me, I – I changed. . ." he said as he pointed over his shoulder, with his thumb, to the spot where he regenerated. ". . . right in front of you."

"I saw him sort of . . . explode, and then you replaced him, like a . . . a teleport, or transmat, or a body swap, or something."

The Doctor did not say anything. He was at a loss for words. How could she not believe he was The Doctor? She saw him regenerate. But in all fairness, he suspected this would happen. He once again, mentally cursed himself for not telling her about regeneration sooner.

Rose then stepped forward. "You're not fooling me." she stated, as she lightly pushed him in the chest, at arm's length. The Doctor just rocked back on his heels, still not believing what he was hearing.

"I've seen all sorts of things." Rose stated. "Nanogenes, Gelth," she listed off slowly, "Slitheen." she finished, looking at him darkly on that last one. The Doctor raised eyebrows.

"Oh, my gosh, are you a Slitheen?!" she asked, slightly panicking.

"I'm not a Slitheen." he answered calmly, as he took a few steps toward her.

"Send him back. I'm warning you; send The Doctor back right _now!_" she shouted.

The Doctor leaned forward, his hands on his knees, in his desperation to prove to her that he _was_ The Doctor. "Rose, its me." he said pleadingly. "Honestly, it's me." he repeated.

Rose continued to breathe heavily, still not convinced.

"I was dying." he explained. "To save my own life, I changed my body. Every single cell, but . . . it's still me.

"You can't be." She whispered.

The Doctor was starting to worry now. How can he convince her of who he was? What could he tell her that only he and she knew? A thought suddenly came to his mind.

"Then how can I remember this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies, oh . . ." he said as he looked away, reminiscing. He quickly looked back into her eyes, ". . . such a long time ago. I took your hand," he spoke softly, as he held her hand to emphasize his point. Rose briefly looked down at where their hands interlocked, and then looked back up to The Doctor's face. "I said one word." he paused for effect. "Just one word, I said . . . _run_." he finished.

Rose gazed at him. There was no other explanation. No one else was there in that cellar.

"Doctor?" she whispered, her eyes full of her tears.

Relief spread throughout The Doctor like a wildfire. "Hello." he said with a giant grin plastered on his face.

Rose sighed in an exasperated manner as she stumbled back, leaning into the pillar she was hiding behind just a few moments ago, as the impact of what had just happened hit her.

"And we never stopped, did we?" said The Doctor as he raced around the control room, excitedly. "All across the universe. Running, running, running." he said as he flicked a few switches on the TARDIS. "One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives." he asked, hopping up and down madly as he did so. Rose just continued to lean against the pillar while staring at The Doctor.

"Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah?! Hop? With the..." he trailed off, noticing Rose's lack of reaction, ceasing his hopping. "No?" he asked.

"Can you change back?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." he said, a bit disappointed.

"Can you?" she asked after a pause.

"No." he replied immediately, though not in an aggressive way.

He briefly looked down to the floor. "Do you want to leave?" he asked suddenly.

Rose looked shocked. "Do you _want_ me to leave?" she asked.

"No!" he replied quickly. "But . . . your choice . . . if you want to go home again." he trailed off.

Rose still looked upset. The Doctor then went back to the console and typed in new coordinates.

"Cancel Barcelona. Change to . . . London . . . the Powell Estate, ah... let's say the 24th of December." he said before he looked toward her. "Consider it an early Christmas present." he finished before pressing a final button. "There." he said before crossing his arms in an almost defensive fashion.

"I'm going home?" asked Rose.

"Up to you. Back to your mum . . . it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast. . . no, Christmas! Turkey! Although, having met your mother, nut loaf would be more appropriate." he joked.

Rose couldn't help smile at that, before turning down quickly, trying to hide it. But it was too late. He saw it.

"Was that a smile?" asked The Doctor, starting to put on a little grin of his own.

"No."

"That was a smile." he stated knowingly.

"No, it wasn't." she repeated, still trying to hide her grin.

"You smiled." he said teasingly.

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, come on, all I did was change. I didn't –" Suddenly he made gagged as the TARDIS began to shudder.

"What?" Rose asked.

"I said I didn't –" He made gagging noises again and the TARDIS shuddered as well, but this time more violently.

"Uh oh." Said The Doctor as Rose started to cautiously edge her way around the console.

"Uh, are you alright?" she asked, worriedly.

Her answer came when he suddenly breathed out regeneration energy. The energy swirled around in the air for a bit before dissipating into thin air.

Rose watched the energy, half in fascination and half with worry. "What's that?" she asked.

"Oh . . . the change is going a bit wrong and all." he answered before gagging once again, this time falling to his knees, his face contorting in pain. Rose knew that she had to do something to help The Doctor, but she had no idea what to do. Suddenly, she realized that Jack wasn't with them.

"Look, maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do."

"Nah, he's busy." he replied impatiently. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he left him behind. At least, not yet. "He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth." he finished. Suddenly, a lever caught his eyes and he started staring at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "I haven't used this one in years." he stated, before flipping the lever. At once, the TARDIS picked up speed. Rose and The Doctor almost fell to the floor, but they each placed their hands on the console, trying to keep their balance.

"What are you doing?!" she nearly shouted.

"Putting on a bit of speed!" he answered with a crazed tone in his voice, as he moved a piece of hanging wire out of his way. "That's it!" he spoke fondly to the TARDIS. As he kept turning more and more knobs and levers, Rose was attempting to find a more secure grip on the console.

"My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! Atta' girl!" he said, as he started to become more crazed and violent with his piloting skills. Rose was now definitely terrified. Had he gone mad? Well, _madder_? "Faster! Wanna break the time limit?" he asked Rose.

"Stop it!" she shouted angrily.

"Ah, don't be so dull." he replied nastily. "Let's have a bit of fun! Let's _rip_ through that vortex!" he exclaimed, punching a fist in the air.

Suddenly, he caught her eye and she saw that his eyes were full of fear. She understood then. He was acting this way because of his regeneration.

"The regeneration's gone wrong." he explained, his voice trembling with fear as well. "I can't stop myself." he continued before his face grimaced in pain, once again. "Ah, my _head_!" he groaned, as he kneeled over, before he straightened into a standing position again with his crazed demeanor returning.

"Faster! Let's open those engines!" he shouted before they heard a bell ring.

"What's that" Rose asked as she looked around the TARDIS, looking for where the source of the sound was coming from.

The Doctor appeared next to her with a manic smile all over his face. "We're gonna crash land." he answered, sounding delighted, before laughing hysterically.

"Well then; do something!" she shouted over the ringing of the bell.

"Too late. Out of control." he replied as he circled the console, giggling madly as he did so. "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!" shouted the crazed Doctor as he hopped around in the air excitedly.

"You're gonna _kill us!_" Rose shouted.

"Hold on tight. Here we go!" he replied before looking across the console, his eyes meeting hers. "Christmas Eve." he said simply, before they were both knocked down to the ground as the TARDIS lurched to a stop. They had reached their destination.

The Doctor quickly got to his feet and moved toward the doors, opening them quickly and staring at modern day London with his brand new eyes. His eyes were filled with wonder as he took in his surroundings. "Here we are, then. London, Earth, the Solar System. I did it!" he finished as he stumbled out of the TARDIS, with the doors closing behind him with a creaking sound. The Doctor then looked in front of him and saw Jackie; Rose's mother, and Mickey.

"Jackie, Mickey. Blimey!" he said before moving backwards, pointing with his hand as he did so. "No, no, no, no. Hold on. Wait there. What was I gonna say?" he asked himself, panting as he circled around the completely confused people in front of him. They had no idea who this seemingly unstable person was. "There was something I had to tell you. Something important. What was it?" he again asked himself as he put his each of his hands on the two people's shoulders to support himself. "No, hold on, hold on. Hold on, shush, shush, shush, shush." he paused for a moment. "Oh!" he shouted, slightly startling them. "I know. Merry Christmas." exclaimed The Doctor before he collapsed from exhaustion.

At that moment, Rose quickly came out of the TARDIS. Upon seeing The Doctor on the ground, she quickly asked, "What happened? Is he all right?"

"I don't know. He just keeled over." answered Mickey. "But who is he? Where's The Doctor?"

"That's him, right in front of you. That's The Doctor."

"What do you mean, 'that's The Doctor'?" Jackie asked her daughter. _"Doctor Who?"_

Thus ended the life of The Ninth Doctor, and the life of The Tenth Doctor began.

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**Author's Note: Well, there ya go. :) I hope ya'll enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Which was a lot, by the way. :) See ya guys next chapter. ALLONS-Y !**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hello again ! :) I'm back with another regeneration chapter. This one is about The Tenth Doctor's first regeneration from the episodes, 'The Stolen Earth' and 'The Journey's End'. I hope you all enjoy it. Please, please, ****_please _****leave a review and possibly favorite or follow this story. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or Regeneration.**

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As The Doctor and Donna exited the TARDIS, they looked around, looking for other people. Finding none, Donna simply said, "Like a ghost town."

She wasn't far off. Abandoned cars were everywhere on the roads, shops were broken into, and all sorts of things were scattered across the roads and sidewalks.

"Sarah Jane said they were taking the people. What for?" asked The Doctor, before turning toward Donna. "Think, Donna. When you met Rose in that parallel world, what did she say?"

"Just, 'the darkness is coming.'" she answered.

"Anything else?" he asked calmly, but with panic and worry etched all over his face.

Donna just looked around some more, about to answer until she saw something behind The Doctor. Or rather, some_one_. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" she said.

The Doctor just looked at her, his panic and worry replaced with confusion. Donna just continued to look over his shoulder. He turned around, following her gaze.

His hearts stopped.

He dared not to believe his eyes. He couldn't. It was _impossible._ But there she was.

Rose.

He saw her smiling at him, her joy at seeing her Doctor again reaching unimaginable heights. He just stood there with his eyes wide open. The rational part of his brain knew that this was bad. _Very_ bad. She couldn't be here. Her being here meant that there was a breach in time and space. But the rational part of his brain was quickly being drowned out by the sudden flood of emotions he was feeling just by _looking_ at her. Joy, happiness, relief, and . . . love. At this moment, he did not care in the slightest about the ramifications of her being here.

Not. One. Bit.

She continued to smile at him before she started running towards him. His feet seemed to have suddenly possessed a mind of their own because now, he was running towards her as well. As they ran, their happiest, most ridiculous smiles quickly became plastered onto each of their faces. Their exhilaration at having found each other again was monumental. He had missed her each and every day. Every single day, every moment, every second, with every beat of his hearts, he racked his brain, over and over, thinking that there might be some way that he could reach her, touch her, and see her again. He knew that it was impossible, well, _almost_ impossible, apparently. But that never stopped him from trying. He would never stop trying to find her again.

And he had. He had finally found her. The Doctor remembered all those times they had ran together, with him watching her laugh and smile. And now, they were running _towards_ each other. It was in this moment, he promised himself that nothing would _ever_ keep them apart from each other again. _Nothing!_

And then suddenly . . .

**_"_****_EXTERMINATE!"_**

A flash of light erupted from nowhere, grazing The Doctor in the shoulder. In that moment, when the beam struck him, part of his skeleton could be seen before the light vanished, and The Doctor fell to the ground.

Donna gasped as she watched him fall. Suddenly, Captain Jack Harkness appeared in a flash, with a giant laser gun and fired it at the hidden Dalek, which exploded into oblivion. Rose continued to run, horrified at seeing her love fall. She then kneeled down to The Doctor, holding his hand.

"I've got you!" she exclaimed as she looked into those deep, brown eyes that she missed. "I've missed you." she said. "Look, it's me."

"Rose." he gasped as he smiled. He desperately tried to keep his eyes open, to see her again. But his eyelids felt like they weighed a ton.

"Hi." she said.

"Long time, no see." he joked. Despite the current setting and circumstances, The Doctor couldn't help but show off his sense of humor. Rose, similarly, couldn't help but grin at what he said.

"Yeah. Been busy, you know." she answered with a slight tremor in her voice.

Suddenly, The Doctor gasped in pain. "Don't die!" she exclaimed. "Please don't die. Oh, my gosh please don't die." Rose begged as he continued to grunt from the pain he was feeling.

"Get him into the TARDIS, quick! Move!" Jack ordered as he quickly picked up the gun that Rose had brought with her, now having a weapon in each hand, as Rose and Donna held The Doctor by his arms and dragged him toward the blue police box.

Once inside, they placed The Doctor onto the ground as he continued to grunt in pain.

"What – what do we do?" Donna asked as she started to go hysterical with worry. "There must be some medicine or something." she continued, not knowing how lethal a Dalek's laser blast is or what was about to happen.

Rose knew, however, but she wouldn't move. She was in shock. She had blown _a hole in the universe_ just to see him again. She had just got him back, she was so close, and in just one moment, that Dalek had ripped her Doctor away from her. It wasn't _fair_! There was nothing she could do. But for now, she was determined to have one last, good look at the person she loved most because soon, he would be gone. Forever.

"Just step back." Jack said as he placed the weapons on the two seats near the TARDIS console.

Seeing that she wasn't doing what he said, Jack firmly said, "Rose, do as I say and get back. He's dying," he continued, "and you know what happens next."

Rose then started to tear up, still not believing that this was happening.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked, her voice completely possessed with panic and worry.

"But he can't." Rose told Jack, her tears now flowing freely. "Not now, I came all this way." she whispered, her voice shaking, as she kept looking at her Doctor, who continued to grunt as his face contorted in pain.

"What do you mean? What happens next?" Donna kept asking Jack.

The Doctor then held up his right hand, staring at it. Rose looked at it as well, and they both saw that his hand had begun to glow with a familiar golden light and shimmering sound.

"It's starting." The Doctor gasped, before resuming his pained grunts.

"Here we go!" Jack exclaimed before taking Rose and Donna by their arms, pulling them away from The Doctor. "Good luck, Doctor." he stated, before The Doctor gripped the console and began to drag himself into a standing position.

"Will somebody _please tell me what is going on_?!" Donna screamed, slightly irritated that no one was answering her questions.

"When he's dying, his, uh, his body, it – it repairs itself – it changes." Rose answered as she sobbed. "But you _can't_!" she cried, begging him to please, _please_ find another way.

"I'm sorry." he apologized. His pain was beyond comprehension. Not his _physical _pain, but his _emotional _pain. He couldn't believe that after everything that he had done for the universe, for billions, perhaps _trillions_, of people and planets he saved, that it would end like this. To be so close to the woman that he loved, then to suddenly be _ripped_ away from her. He had never, not_ once_, in all of his lives, asked for anything in return. And now, just when he thinks he's found true happiness, it was taken from him.

"It's too late." he continued, breathing heavily as he spoke. It was almost time, only seconds away now. "I'm regenerating." The Doctor exclaimed before he fully straightened up and the light burst from his hands and head, with his companions quickly covering their eyes from the bright and intense light.

It took every ounce of willpower for him to not scream. Regeneration had always been painful, but now, in conjunction with his emotional turmoil, it was unbelievable. But he still kept silent, for Rose's sake. She did not need to her the man she loved most, cry out in agony.

_"__Is this what he felt like?"_ thought The Doctor in his pain, thinking about The Master. Thinking about how he had been forced to listen to him shriek in despair, back in the year 100,000,000,000,000. About how The Master had regenerated from old Professor Yana, to the youthful and charismatic Harold Saxon. This _must_ have been what it felt like. In that moment, The Doctor couldn't help but feel a _small_ amount of sympathy for his dead enemy.

As he felt himself being healed, he noticed a futuristic looking container with a blue liquid bubbling inside of it. He also noticed that in that container was a hand. No, not just any hand. _His_ hand! The one that had been cut off during the invasion of the Sycorax, before he regrew a new hand, due to him still being within the first fifteen hours of his regeneration. It had fallen to Earth, where Jack had somehow found it.

At that moment, pure, wild, uncontained joy spread throughout The Doctor. With extreme effort, he turned and pointed both his hands and his head towards the jar containing his old hand. The hand suddenly seemed to become a magnet for energy, as the golden regeneration energy rushed towards and into the jar, which increased its bubbling to a very audible level. The energy continued to speed toward the container for approximately eight seconds for it finally stopped.

The Doctor then stumbled back looking . . . exactly the same?

"Now then, where were we?" he asked himself, his eyes wide with surprise. He wasn't entirely sure that would work, but he was _extremely_ glad it did. Rose, Donna, and Jack just looked at him with their eyes wide open. Jack and Rose were very confused. Not that they were complaining, but why hadn't he changed his appearance?

Noticing their confusion, The Tenth Doctor got down on the floor, grinning as he did so, to the container holding his hand, golden energy still softly swirling around it.

"There now." he began, before softly blowing away the energy from the jar as it dissipated into thin air. "You see?" he continued with a smile, before going into a kneeling position. "Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as that was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to. Why would I? Look at me." he explained before straightening his tie. "So to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest to a_ handy_ bio-matching receptacle. Namely, my hand. That hand there." gestured The Doctor. "My handy spare hand." he joked, before turning to Rose.

"Remember? Christmas Day, Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight. That's my hand. What do you think?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't be scared like last time.

"You're still you?" she asked as she stepped towards him.

"I'm still me." he answered simply, with the beginnings of a grin appearing on his face.

Rose paused for a moment before she threw herself towards The Doctor, giving him the biggest hug she could muster. The Doctor responded with equal enthusiasm.

At long last, they were together again. Though they still had the Dalek invasion to deal with, right in now, in this moment, they were the two happiest people in the universe. They both had gone through so much pain, turmoil, and despair. But it was all worth it. Every last moment.

Thus continued the life of The Tenth Doctor.

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**Author's Note: I hope you all liked it. :) Please feel free to leave a review.**

**WARNING ! SPOILER'S AHEAD FOR 'THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR'.**

**I just wanted to let you guys know that due to The Eleventh Doctor gaining a new regeneration cycle, this story will continue until the Doctor Who show ends. Which is probably gonna mean that after I post the chapter about The Eleventh Doctor's regeneration, I probably won't be updating until The Twelfth Doctor regenerates into The Thirteenth Doctor and so on. I hope you all bear with me for the next few years. LOL ! Well, see ya'll later. ALLONS-Y !**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Alright. This probably the most emotional regeneration in the entire Doctor Who franchise. Hope I did it justice. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

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**_CRASH!_**

The Doctor fell through the glass dome before slamming into the marble floor. The Master, meanwhile, covered his face in surprise and defense, before looking at The Doctor who was writhing in pain. The Doctor grabbed the gun that Wilfred at given to him and tried to aim it at Lord President Rassilon, but he was too injured from his fall. He dropped the gun. Groaning as he did so, The Doctor attempted to sit up. His Time Lord physiology had shielded him from most of the crash, but it still hurt like hell.

As he stared at The Doctor, The Master felt a sudden impulse to help him up. For just a brief moment, the remnants of a little boy named Koschei appeared. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone in a flash. He and The Doctor may have been best friends as they grew up, but that was all gone now. Koschei is dead. He is The Master now.

As The Doctor moved to straighten up, Rassilon stepped forward with a slight smile on his face. "My Lord Doctor." he greeted in a falsely pleasant tone before extending the same false greeting to The Master. "My Lord Master." Upon hearing his name, The Master looked away from the grunting Doctor to stare at Rassilon. "We are gathered for the end." Rassilon finished ominously.

The Doctor finally got to his knees before he turned his bruised, bloodied face towards the Lord President of the Time Lords. "Listen to me, you can't –", he began to beg. He knew what they were planning to do. He couldn't let them do this.

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most _infamous_ child." Rassilon continued, ignoring The Doctor.

"Oh, he's not saving you." warned The Doctor. "Don't you realize what he's doing?" he asked.

"Hey, no, hey!" The Master interrupted The Doctor, pointing a finger at him. "That's mine. Hush." he stated childishly as he moved his finger into a 'shush' gesture. He then turned towards Rassilon. "Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being." he began proudly. Indeed, The Master had turned every human on Earth into him. They looked exactly like him, thought like him, and talked like him. And they only obeyed the original Master. The self-proclaimed 'Master Race'.

"But who wants a mongrel, little species like them?" he continued. "Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord."

As The Master explained his plan, Rassilon had gripped his staff tighter, his knuckles beginning to turn white. His face had also started to become one of pure fury.

The Master, still boasting his supposed superiority, continued to taunt the Lord President. "Oh, yes, Mr President, sir, standing there, all noble, and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're gonna look as _me_." he finished, pointing to himself at his last statement.

Finally having enough, Rassilon raised his left arm with his hand in a fist. His arm was covered in a gauntlet. Seeing the gauntlet, The Master's smile vanished and his faced paled. Rassilon then lowered the gauntlet and unclenched his fist. As soon as he did so, the gauntlet glowed with a blue light. Suddenly, every single member of the 'Master Race' began to shake inconceivably fast. As this happened, The Master looked around, his face one of intense worry.

"No, no! No, no! No, stop it! No, no! No, no, don't!" he began to shout.

The Doctor watch as, after a few moments, every single person became human again, with their own faces returned to them. This effect happened worldwide. The 'Master Race' was gone.

"On your knees, mankind." Rassilon ordered.

Afraid and not understanding what was going on or what had just happened, every human in the room slowly fell to their knees.

Seeing that he had no army to assist him anymore, The Master turned towards Rassilon, attempting to salvage what chances he had left of staying alive. "That's . . . that's fine. That's good. Because you said 'salvation'. I still saved you. _Don't_ forget that." he said.

All at once, the whole Earth began to shake. "The approach begins." Rassilon said dramatically as he noticed this.

Confused, The Master asked, "Approach of what?"

"'Something is returning.' Don't you ever _listen!?_" The Doctor said as he turned toward his enemy, his anger bursting out at The Master's stupidity. The Master and Rassilon had been so focused on each other, they had almost forgotten that The Doctor was still present. "That was the prophecy. Not some_one_, some_thing_." he growled.

"What is it?!" replied The Master.

"There not just bringing back the species." The Doctor began again, referring to the Time Lords. "It's **_Gallifrey!_**" he exclaimed, stunning The Master. "Right here, right now! The Doctor continued, his voice and eyes practically _seething _with rage.

As if on cue, another planet – five times as big as Earth – began to appear in the sky as if out of nowhere. It moved closer and closer towards Earth, threatening to knock it out of orbit. Seeing this, the humans jumped to their feet and began to run out of the room, screaming as they did so. The Doctor just stayed where he was, horrified. Rassilon had broken the time-lock on the Time War. He knew what was coming and he couldn't take it. He knew he had to stop them. He had to stop his own people.

"But I did this. I get the credit!" The Master stated to Rassilon. "I'm on your side!" he continued, laughing nervously. Rassilon, not believing a word he said, remained silent. He just continued to smile.

As the humans were escaping, Wilfred appeared at the door, shouting 'Let me through, let me through', as he attempted to move past the panicking people. Once he was through, he saw The Doctor, still kneeling and recovering from his fall, breathing heavily. "Doctor?" Wilfred asked worriedly.

"Please! Somebody, please!"

Wilfred turned toward the person who was screaming, a scientist who was trapped in some sort of radiation booth with two separate booths, separated by a glass wall. The scientist was trapped in one of the booths.

"All right, I've got you mate! I've got you." Wilfred said as he rushed into the booth adjacent to the one the scientist was trapped in.

Seeing this, The Doctor began to panic. "Wilf, don't. Don't!"

But it was too late. "I've got you! Grab on! Open that! Go on!" Wilfred ushered the scientist, as he entered the booth, closed the door, and pressed the button, releasing the scientist, who then rushed out, but locking Wilfred in his booth.

The Master, oblivious to what Wilfred was doing in his shock, looked upwards and saw through the broken glass dome, Gallifrey. His home.

"But this is fantastic, isn't it?" he asked, turning toward The Doctor. The Master knew what Gallifrey coming back meant for the human race and Earth but he didn't care. He had his home again! "The Time Lords restored!" he finished dramatically.

The Doctor just looked at him with his penetrating stare, pausing for a moment before answering.

"You weren't there in the final days of the war." he started, his voice low and ominous. As he spoke, his eyes began to burn with the fury of a rabid animal. "You never saw what was _born_. But if the time-lock's broken, then everything's coming through, not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations," he began to list off the horrors of the Time War. "the Hoard of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could've Been King with his Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres, the war turning to _hell_!" he finished, before starting again. "And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. _Hell_ _is descending!_" The Doctor exclaimed with utmost seriousness. His last statement was not a metaphor or an overdramatic proclamation. It was the most serious thing he could have ever spoken in his lives.

The Master was, foolishly, not fazed by that last statement. Instead he merely looked toward the ever-growing closer Gallifrey and stated, "My kind of world."

"_Just listen!"_ The Doctor nearly shouted. Why did he have to be so thick-headed? "'Cause even the _Time Lords_ can't survive _that_!"

"We will initiate the Final Sanction." Rassilon announced behind The Doctor. "The end of time will come at _my_ hand." he continued. "The rupture will continue until it _rips_ the Time Vortex _apart_."

"That's _suicide!_" The Master said worriedly. The Lord President just ignored him.

"We will _ascend_," he declared, lifting his arms into the air before continuing, "to become creatures of _consciousness_ alone, free of these bodies, free of _time_ and _cause_ and _effect_, while Creation itself ceases to be."

The Master just stared at Rassilon with his eyes wide, horrified at what he was planning to do.

"You see now?" The Doctor asked him. "_That's_ what they were planning in the final days of the war. I had to _stop_ them." he finished angrily.

"Then . . . take me with you, Lord President." said The Master, spreading out his arms as Rassilon had just a few moments earlier. He was shocked at what Rassilon was doing, but he still didn't want to die. "Let me _ascend_ into glory!"

Rassilon stared at him with a look of pure revulsion, outraged by his cowardice. "You are _diseased_, albeit a disease of our own making." he replied with disgust. "No more." he almost whispered as he raised his gauntlet again, preparing to disintegrate The Master until . . .

_CLICK_

The Doctor had finally gotten up and raised the gun that Wilfred had given him, pointing it at Rassilon, who froze. From his booth, Wilfred was watching the entire exchange. As he pointed the gun, The Doctor's eyes possessed a hatred and rage that was beyond all comprehension.

"Choose your enemy." Rassilon warned The Doctor. "We are many. The Master is but one." he finished.

"But he's the _President_!" The Master said. "Kill him and Gallifrey could be yours!"

The Doctor then turned his weapon to The Master, who became shocked. "_He's_ to blame, _not me_!" he exclaimed, pointing towards Rassilon. The Doctor said nothing, still pointing the gun at The Master's head. Suddenly, a look of understanding appeared on The Master's face. "Oooh, the link is inside my head." he realized.

It was true. It was the drumming, the never ending drumming, in his head that he has heard since he was eight years old. It became a beacon for the Time Lords, allowing them to break through the time-lock. But to complete the connection, they sent a White Point Star, a rare Gallifreyan diamond, to Earth to power the machine that let them appear in the first place.

The Master turned his head away for a moment before turning back. "Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back." he explained, with a casual tone in his voice.

Everything and everyone stood still for a moment before he stepped forward. "You never would, you _coward_!" he quietly snarled. The Doctor just held his position. "Go on, then." The Master taunted quietly. "Do it!" he said.

The Doctor became tense, his finger on the trigger. He hated this gun. He hated all guns. It took every ounce of willpower to not fling the weapon away from him. He felt disgusted with himself, but he didn't know what else to do. But still, he called himself 'The Doctor' for a reason. Because of a promise he made to himself. Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, and never give in. The Master was right. He couldn't do it. But he _had_ to.

The Doctor then turned around, pointing his weapon at Rassilon again. Despite everything The Master had done, despite all the innocent people he's killed, The Doctor still held onto that fleeting hope that his friend was still in there. He believed that Koschei was still in there, deep beneath the blackness of The Master's hearts.

"Exactly! It's not just me! It's him! _He's_ the link! _Kill_ him!" The Master encouraged.

"The final act of your life is _murder_. But which one of us?" Rassilon asked, enjoying seeing The Doctor in emotional torment.

Baring his teeth, breathing heavily, The Doctor just looked at the Lord President, prepared to pull the trigger. But then something in the corner of his eye, caught his attention. It was one of the Time Lords that had accompanied Rassilon. Or, in this case, a Time _Lady_. She had her hands up, covering her face like a Weeping Angel, as did another Time Lord. The Doctor guessed that they were the only ones to oppose the Lord President's plan to initiate the Final Sanction. They must have been forced to hold their hands to their faces in shame.

The old woman lowered her hands, revealing her face. The Doctor's eyes slightly widened. He knew who she was. He had thought he would never see her again. His mother.

Wilfred was also surprised. She was the woman who told him to give the gun to The Doctor.

Hurt and pain flew across The Doctor's eyes, as they began to fill with tears. While he was happy to see her, he did not want her to be here to see what he was about to do. He did not want her to see her son commit murder. But other than that, he had missed her _so much_ that it hurt. He knew that when he destroyed Gallifrey that he would be killing his family as well, or rather what was left of it. He had never forgave himself.

His mother's eyes, however, filled with tears of happiness at seeing her son again, despite the current situation. Although he looked different, she knew it was him, because of his eyes. True, his eyes had changed their shape and color, but his bravery, his almost never-ending compassion, and his desperate desire to help others, was still there. She was so proud of her boy. He had sacrificed so much, so that others could live in peace and harmony. She looked at him as she nodded her head.

The Doctor's eyes widened even more. Was she saying it was okay for him to kill Rassilon? She couldn't be. She knew how much it would destroy her son if he was to take _any_ life, whether that person was good or bad. No, wait. She was glancing to something. Something behind him. Realization appeared in The Doctor's eyes.

He then turned away from Rassilon to point the gun at The Master again. The Master just stared in shock. He had thought that The Doctor still believed that he could be saved.

_"__I guess I was wrong."_ thought The Master as he stared into The Doctor's eyes.

"Get out of the way." The Doctor said simply.

Relief and understanding appeared in The Master's eyes. He then smiled at The Doctor before jumping out of the way. The Doctor then pulled the trigger.

**_BANG!_**

The machine that The Master was standing in front of exploded in a massive shower of sparks.

The Doctor then looked towards the Lord President. "The link is _broken_! Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into hell!" he declared triumphantly, as the Earth began to shake again, trying regain its orbit.

Above them, Gallifrey had begun to disappear. The time-lock was being reestablished.

Rassilon's eyes were now burning with rage. Gallifrey and the Time Lords had fallen. But he was determined not to go alone. "You'll die with me, DOCTOR!" he roared as he once again raised his gauntlet.

"I know." The Doctor replied simply, accepting his fate. This was foretold. That he would die. He normally didn't believe in prophecy, but so far, everything that had been foretold had happened. The Doctor was ready though. He was prepared. He took looked back at his mother for what he knew would be the last time. He was content that in his final moments, his mother would be here.

She too, looked lovingly at her son for the last time, before covering her face with her hands again. She did not want to see her son be killed.

"Get out of the way." The Master said from behind.

The Doctor turned to see The Master rubbing his hands together. Knowing what was about to happen, The Doctor quickly jumped out of the way as The Master had, before The Master fired a blast of blue lightning energy from his hands and struck Rassilon in the chest. But the Lord President did not fall. He simply remained stationary, gasping in pain.

"You did this to me!" The Master shouted, his rage at being used as a pawn ever since he was a child bursting out in the form of his attack. "ALL OF MY LIFE!" he again shouted before switching his hands, still firing a continuous stream of lightning from his hands. **_"YOU. MADE. ME!"_** he proclaimed as he moved toward Rassilon. **_"ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR!" _**The Master shouted as he stepped forward and alternating attacks between his hands with each word, getting closer and closer.

With each attack, Rassilon fell a little more to the ground, now clutching his staff for support. The Master finally reached the platform the Time Lords were standing on before they all disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light, taking The Master with them. Back into the Time War.

And with that, Gallifrey disappeared from the sky, returning to its original place in time and space.

The Doctor laid on the ground in exhaustion before turning onto his side, completely astounded.

"I'm alive." he realized. "I've . . . What?!" he continued. "I'm still alive." he repeated before laughing shakily. He continued to laugh with relief as he unsteadily got to his knees.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The Doctor froze, his laughter dying with his relief.

_"'__He will knock four times.'" _The Doctor remembered. That was what the prophecy had said. That was what signified his death.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The Doctor just remained still as he listened to the knocks, condemning him further.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The Doctor then rose up to his knees. His spirit shattered as he heard those knocks.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

He then turned toward the source of the sound, seeing Wilfred still trapped in the radiation booth, knocking for The Doctor's attention. He then gave a little wave. "They gone, then?" he asked. "Yeah, good-o. If you could, uh, let me out . . . ."

"Yeah." said The Doctor before getting to his feet, his face seemingly devoid of all emotion, except sadness.

"Only this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise." Wilfred said as the booth hummed audibly with electricity.

"The Master left the nuclear bolt running." began The Doctor as he moved toward the booth. "It's gone into overload."

"And that's bad, is it?" Wilfred ask sarcastically.

"No. 'Cause all the excess radiation gets vented inside there." he pointed to the booth. "Vinvocci glass contains it." the Time Lord continued in a shaky voice. "All 500,000 rads about to flood that thing."

"Oh." Wilfred chuckled. "Well, you better let me out, then." he said matter-of-factly.

"Except it's gone critical." The Doctor kept explaining. "Touch one control and it floods." he said before pulling out his sonic screwdriver, giving it a little shake. "Even this would set it off."

"Oh." Wilfred said, realizing what The Doctor was trying to tell him. "I'm sorry." he said.

The Doctor just turned away, not saying anything. He moved toward the tables, pacing with his head down.

"Look, just leave me." Wilfred said.

The Doctor looked at Wilfred. "Okay, right, then, I will." he replied half-seriously, with tears beginning to form in his eyes. "'Cause you _had_ to go in there, didn't you?" he asked. "You _had_ to go and get stuck, oh, yes!" he repeated, his voice beginning to rise in frustration and anger. Not at Wilfred, but at the universe. "'Cause that's _who you are_, Wilfred. You were always this . . . . Waiting for me, all this time."

"No, really, just leave me." Wilfred insisted with a dejected tone in his voice. "I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."

"Well, exactly! Look at you." The Doctor replied, his voice taking on a nasty tone. "Not remotely important." he said callously, yet sarcastically, his anger still rising, however. "But _me_? I could do so much more!" he spoke loudly, as if speaking with someone else, which, in his mind, he probably was. "**_SO. MUCH. MORE!_**" he screamed to the heavens, pounding his palms against his chest with each word, enunciating them.

"But this is what I get." he continued as he laid his hands on a nearby table. He deserved to complain like this. He had flown across the stars, he had been to the farthest reaches of the universe and back, he saw the birth of the universe and had watched as time itself _ran out_, moment by moment until there was just him. He had saved billions of species and planets, he had nearly destroyed the Daleks, he had lost so much, _sacrificed_ so much, in the name of peace, and not once, _not once_, did he ask for anything in return.

And this is how he's thanked?

"My reward." he said simply. "**_WELL, IT'S NOT FAIR!_**" he shouted as he flung his hand across the table and threw its contents to the floor. He then stood up straight, breathing deeply, before turning back to Wilfred, who was shocked. From what his granddaughter Donna had told him, The Doctor had lost his temper before, but _never_ like this.

The Doctor was shocked at himself too, realizing what he just said. How could he be so self-absorbed? He couldn't leave Wilfred to die. What had happened to him? Snapping out of his self-concern and selfishness, he started to walk towards the booth that Wilfred was still trapped in. "Lived too long." he almost whispered.

"No." Wilfred saw what he was doing. "No, no, please. Please, don't. No, don't, _don't_! _Please, don't_! Please!" Wilfred begged, his voice breaking on that last word.

His cries fell on deaf ears, as The Doctor continued to walk toward the booth, prepared to sacrifice himself. As he grabbed the door handle to the other booth, he looked at his companion with his eyes filled to the brim with sadness. "Wilfred, it's my honor." he proclaimed, feeling genuinely honored to save his friend.

"Better be quick." he said as he quickly entered the booth, counting down as he prepared to press the button. "Three, two, one . . . ."

He then pressed it.

At once, Wilfred's door became unlocked and he scrambled out of there. The Doctor's, however, locked itself and the lights went red as his booth flooded with 500,000 rads of radiation.

The Doctor keeled over in immense pain and agony as the radiation attacked every single part of his body, attacking every nerve. It took every ounce of his willpower to not scream in pain. However, he couldn't help the grunts that escaped his mouth as he fell against the glass and began to slide down to the ground, assuming a fetal position, grasping onto his hair as he did so.

Wilfred stared, horrified at the sight before him, unable to do anything to help his friend. And then, after a few moments, the machine went dead.

The Doctor wasn't moving for a while until, suddenly, his hand unclenched itself from his hair and he exclaimed softly, as he got up.

"What?" Wilfred asked. He was confused, but he wasn't complaining. "Hello." he said simply to the weary Doctor.

"Hi." he rasped, slightly out of breath.

"Still with us?"

"The system's dead." he said as he observed the machine. "I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput." he said before he pressed his hand against the door, which opened freely. "Oh, _now_ it opens, yeah." he stated exasperatedly, as he stepped out of the booth.

"Well, here we are, then safe and sound. Mind you, you're in a hell of a state." Wilfred observed, pointing to The Doctor's wounds. "You've got some battle scars there."

The Doctor grunted at that, placing his hands to his face. Wilfred chuckled at that, thinking it was just an act of modesty. But then The Doctor began to drag his hands down, rubbing his face. As he did so, all the wounds and scars disappeared with a sizzling sound.

Wilfred stared at him, astounded. "But then . . . Your face . . . How did you do that?" he asked as The Doctor finished before put his hands to his sides, his face fully healed.

The Doctor then looked at the back of his hands before turning them to look at his palms. "It's started." he sighed, not saying anymore.

Knowing what he was talking about, Wilfred moved forward and gave the grieving Doctor a hug, crying as he did so. The Doctor returned the hug as he simply stared at nothing in particular.

After a while, they both returned to the TARDIS. Neither Wilfred nor The Doctor said anything as The Doctor moved around the console, flicking switches and pulling levers as he did so. Once they finally landed, they both went outside to see Sylvia, Wilfred's daughter, waiting for them with a smile on her face. Which was odd.

Seeing this, The Doctor said sarcastically, "Oh, she's smiling. As if today wasn't bad enough."

Wilfred then turned to him and The Doctor said, "Anyway . . . I don't think that this is goodbye, Wilf. I'll see you again, one more time."

Wilfred shook his head in confusion. "What do you mean? When's that?"

"Just keep looking. I'll be there." he answered cryptically.

"Where you going?"

The Doctor paused for a few seconds. "To get my reward" he answered simply before going back into the TARDIS, the doors closing with their usual creaking sound.

* * *

Martha Jones ran across the junkyard, almost being hit by a laser blast, as a piece of the ground exploded near her. She still kept running, holding her gun in her hands as she did so. She then jumped behind cover with Mickey Smith, who had just finished reloading his weapon.

"I told you to stay behind." he lightly snapped at her. Why doesn't she ever listen?

"Well, you looked like you needed help." she answered playfully, not hurt by his tone, knowing that he was just worried for her safety.

Mickey scoffed, pretending that he was fine. He would never admit it, but he was glad she got here when she did.

"Besides, you're the one who persuaded me to go freelance." she reminded him.

"Yeah, but we're being fired at by a Sontaran. A dumpty with a gun." he lightly joked as he tried to look over his cover. "And this is no place for a married woman." he finished with a gasp, slightly tired from all that running.

"Well, then, you shouldn't have married me." She replied with a grin. Mickey couldn't help but grin at his wife's humor. He then gestured her to move toward him, which she quickly did. The couple, who were forming a plan, was unaware that they were currently in the sights of the Sontaran they were currently fighting. The Sontaran, Jask, had sneaked behind them and was currently on a balcony. He took his time as he savored the smell of scorched metal and burning buildings, the feeling of his gun in his hands, and the sound of ammunition being clipped into place. He licked his teeth concentration, his excitement reaching an all-time high. He was about to pull the trigger of his gun when . . .

**_Bang!_**

Jask fell to the floor, unconscious. The Doctor stood where he stood, mallet in his hands as he looked fondly at his faithful companions.

"If we go in here and down to the factory floor," began Mickey, gesturing to some locations on some blueprints, "and down past that corridor, then he won't know that we're here."

Martha listened as she looked at their surroundings before she saw him standing on the balcony. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was him. It really was, actually, him! And he still looked the same as ever. "Mickey." she gasped.

He looked toward her, then he looked where she was looking and his eyes widened in disbelief as well. The Doctor, meanwhile, just stayed where he was, looking at them.

"Hey!" Mickey shouted. He and his wife moved a little closer to him and then stopped. Something was wrong.

The Doctor wanted to go down there and hug his friends one last time. It took everything just to stay where he was. He wanted so desperately to speak to them, tell them what was happening. But they knew. He could see it on their faces. Besides, he didn't have long. He could only hold off regeneration for so long. He took one last, good look at them before moving across the balcony, back to the TARDIS.

Martha's eyes now held nothing but sadness. She knew what was about to happen. Mickey did as well. She gripped to her husband for support. They both knew that they would never see their Doctor again. As he held his wife, Mickey gave her a quick kiss on her head, attempting to comfort her further. Martha made her grip even tighter, as tears began to form in her eyes.

* * *

"That was the maddest Christmas _ever_, Clyde." Luke Smith told his friend through his phone as he walked back towards his home. Unsurprisingly, the incident with the 'Master Race', had been noticed. And as usual, Luke and his mother, Sarah Jane, along with UNIT and Torchwood, were working overtime to clean it all up and come up with a cover story. That was usually Sarah Jane's department. She did this with the help of their home supercomputer, Mr Smith.

"Mum still doesn't know what happened." Luke continued, "She got Mr Smith to put out this story saying that the Wi-Fi went mad all across the world, giving everyone hallucinations. I mean, how else are you going to explain it? Everyone with a different face?" he asked his friend as he started to walk across the street to his house, completely unaware of the car that was rapidly approaching him. Suddenly, he was pulled out of the street by some man, just as the car was about to hit him. Said car honked angrily at Luke and his savior, before driving off.

Luke regained his balance and look at the man who saved him and his eyes widened in shock. It was The Doctor. "It's you!" he declared. The Doctor said nothing. He just put his hands in his coat pockets and looked at Luke with a scolding look that said 'be more careful'.

Luke was still in far too much shock to feel ashamed that he hadn't been more cautious. "You're . . ." he trailed off, before The Doctor turned and slowly walked way.

"Mum!" Luke shouted, looking at the street both ways this time, before he dashed towards his mother, who had just come outside.

"What? What is it?" Sarah Jane asked.

"It's him!" Luke replied.

"What?"

"It's The Doctor."

Sarah turned her head to look where her son looked and saw, to her joy, The Doctor staring at her, just as he was about to enter the TARDIS. Her smile, however, faded as she saw the solemn and sad look that he gave her. She now knew what was happening and why he had come. He had come to say goodbye. But she knew that he could never actually say such a word.

_I hate goodbyes. I just slip away quietly._

She remembered him saying that just after he had regenerated into his fourth incarnation. And that was precisely what he was doing now. Sarah felt her heart break at seeing him so sad. She knew why this regeneration would be more difficult than the others. He had formed attachments that his other lives had not. He had found love and he had lost it. And once he regenerated, those feelings would disappear. Or rather, be less strong. He never stopped caring about his companions. But when he regenerates, the man that he is now would be gone.

The Doctor gave her a wave before stepping into TARDIS. Despite the sadness she was feeling right now, Sarah Jane knew that he would be okay. He might look different when they meet again, but he would always be the man that she had met all those years ago. The Doctor. Her Doctor.

With these thoughts in mind, Sarah smiled before the TARDIS disappeared.

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness sat down at the local bar of Zaggit Zagoo, a city on the planet of Zog, drinking his sorrows away. Or trying to, at least. To say that he had been having a rough time would be the understatement of the century. As Jack sat, he listened to the music that was playing. It was an old jazz song from back in the 1920's. This surprised Jack. Earth music this old was rarely played anymore. He believed it was called _'My Angel Put the Devil in Me'_. As the lyrics began to play, it seemed that Jack was right.

As Jack listened to the music, he looked around the bar to see various species of aliens. He saw a few Hath, a Judoon, and even a Slitheen. He then sipped from his cup again and saw a young Adipose climb onto the bar and walked across it curiously. As it reached Jack's hand, the little alien attempted to jump over it. It succeeded, but it landed on the edge of bar and it lost its balance before falling over the edge. It landed with a sound of breaking glass. Jack looked over the counter in interest before going back to his drink.

Then the bartender, whom Jack couldn't help but notice was rather _handsome_, came over and handed Jack a piece of paper. "From the man over there." he explained as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. Jack looked to where the bartender pointed and saw him.

The Doctor.

Jack immediately began to feel a little bit sobered up as he saw his old friend. Wherever The Doctor was, trouble was bound to follow. He knew that from experience.

_"__Still, it's nice to see a friendly face around here."_ Jack thought as looked at the Time Lord.

The Doctor just nodded to the note that was in front of Jack, not saying a word. Jack picked up the note, still looking at The Doctor for a moment, before unfolding the small piece of paper.

_His name is Alonso_.

Jack looked at his friend in slight confusion. Who was he talking about? The Doctor just nodded to the vacant space next to Jack, who looked to see that it wasn't so vacant anymore.

A young man wearing a black sailor uniform, laid his hat down on the bar before taking his drink. He looked exhausted.

Jack looked at The Doctor in astonishment, who just gave a small, little salute with his fingers. Though he never said anything, The Doctor always seemed a little uncomfortable at Jack's flirtatious behavior towards men and women. Plus, The Doctor _hated_ saluting. Jack never asked why.

Looking at his friend's face and taking account into The Doctor's unusual behavior, Jack understood in an instant. Like all of his other companions The Doctor's visited recently, Jack felt a pang of sadness, knowing he would probably never see this man again. However, Jack respectfully returned the salute, saying goodbye. Satisfied, The Doctor made his way to the exit.

Once he left, Jack turned toward the young man next to him. "So, Alonso." he began. Alonso turned his head, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Going my way?" asked Jack with a smile.

"How do you know my name?" Alonso asked. He didn't sound angry or scared or threatened. Just curious.

"I'm kind of psychic." Jack jokingly answered, with a slight laugh.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Alonso looked at Jack and asked, "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Nodding his head, Jack replied confidently, "Oh, yeah."

Alonso just smiled at that and Jack laughed a little harder before taking another drink, his sorrows that he had felt previously, temporarily forgotten.

* * *

"No, it's not just a story, no. Every word of it's true." Verity Newman answered a customer, as she signed his book. "I found my great-grandmother's diary in the loft and, she was a nurse in 1913, and she fell in love with this man called John Smith, except he was a visitor from another world." she explained. "She fell in love with a man from the stars. And she wrote it all down." she finished before closing the book she had written and gave it to the man, who thanked her.

And then, another man came and gave her his copy for her to sign. "And who's it for?" Verity asked.

"The Doctor." he answered with a melancholy voice.

"'To The Doctor.'" She spoke as she wrote it down. "Funny, that's the name he used." she observed before realizing what he just said. She slowly closed his copy and slowly looked up at him, amazement in her eyes.

"Was she happy?" he asked. "In the end?"

He was, of course, referring to her great-grandmother, Joan Redfern. He had fallen in love with her during the time he was human and had lost his memories. Or rather, the _other_ him did. John Smith. Once he became a Time Lord again and his memories were restored, he had lost all of those feeling for her. However, also remembered the times when he was human. He still remembered what type of person she was. He still cared for her.

Still in slight shock, Verity cleared her throat before answering, "Yes. Yes, she was."

The Doctor just slightly nodded his head, content.

Suddenly, she asked, "Were you?"

He didn't say one word. Suddenly, he felt tears coming to his eyes as he started to choke up. He tried to pass off his sadness as a smile, barely succeeding. He took his copy and just walked away, with Verity staring at him as he left.

* * *

The church bells rang as Donna Temple-Noble exited the church with her new husband, Shaun Temple. As they walked out, the guests were throwing flower petals all over the happy couple. Donna was beyond ecstatic. She happily squealed as she held up her ring, showing everyone how happy she was, as if her behavior and constant, barely contained energy wasn't proof enough.

Wilfred Mott was also very happy for his granddaughter. She had found a man who would be there for her and take care of her. He leaned toward Donna and gave her a kiss on her cheeks, before jokingly giving Shaun a kiss on his cheeks as well. Everyone laughed at that. Like her father, Sylvia was delighted that her daughter was married and laughed with all the other guests when Wilfred gave the happy couple kisses on their cheeks.

But apparently, Donna's grandfather wasn't finished. "Everyone, three cheers! Hip, hip . . ."

"HOORAY!" all the guests shouted happily.

"Hip, hip . . ."

"HOORAY!"

"Hip, hip . . ." Wilfred shouted one last time, before the crowd gave their final, "HOORAY!"

After they were all calmed down from the cheering, Donna became determined to photograph and immortalize what was, perhaps, the happiest moment of her life. "Right, then, come on, you lot. Get in!" she ushered her friends. "This photo is just for friends." she told everyone else. "Come on, and I want all of you in it. Come one, that's it." she said. "Well, friends, and Nerys." Donna joked, making everyone, except Nerys, laugh. It wasn't like she _chose_ to be here.

"Oh, I'm only joking. Oh, look at her." said Donna.

"You made me wear _peach_!" Nerys said, exasperated and annoyed.

"That's 'cause you are a peach. Fair of skin, stone inside, going off." Donna whispered.

"Ok, smile!" the photographer said before they all put on their best smiles, shouting, "Cheeeese."

Once the flash and the inaudible click went by, they started to cheer again, throwing more petals into the air. While watching Donna and her friends take their pictures, Wilfred, Sylvia, and Wilfred's friend, Minnie were talking.

"How about it, Wilfred?" asked Minnie.

"Eh?" he asked as he looked at her, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, it's never too late." she said before she playfully sprinkled Wilfred with petals. Sylvia laughed as she watched her father get assaulted by flowers.

"Oh, will you behave, Minnie? Honestly." Wilfred said, playfully pretending to be angry, as he ran his hands through his hair, attempting to get all the petals off of him.

Not deterred in the slightest, Minnie said determinedly, "I'm gonna catch that bouquet." She then went to join the crowd and attempt to do exactly what she said.

"Oh, dear." Wilfred chuckled.

Sylvia then turned around and saw The Doctor. "Dad!" she half-gasped, half-whispered in shock. Wilfred turned to his daughter and looked to where she was looking. When he saw The Doctor, his eyes widened in shock. He was happy to see him, but last time they met, The Doctor had said that when they saw each other again, it would be for the last time.

Nervously, he made his way to his friend, but he still managed to put on a smile. "And here you are, eh? Same old face. Didn't I tell you you'd be all right?" he asked. Wilfred forgot that even though it has been a few months for him, it had been just a few minutes for The Doctor. "Oh," Wilfred remembered, clapping his hands together, "they've arrested Mr Naismith. It was on the news. 'Crimes undisclosed.'" he motioned with his hands. "And his daughter. Both of them, locked up." he stated, seemingly satisfied. "Yeah, but I keep thinking, Doctor, there's one thing you never told me: That woman, who was she?"

The Doctor just stood there, not saying anything on the matter. He then looked at Donna. Seeing her in her wedding dress reminded him of the first time they met. He looked fondly at her for one more moment before changing the subject. "I just wanted to give you this." he said, pulling out an envelope from his coat and giving to Wilfred. "Wedding present." he explained. "Thing is, I never carry money, so I just popped back in time, borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was."

Upon her late husband's name, Sylvia covered her open mouth in shock.

"'Have it,' he said. 'Have that on me'." The Doctor finished.

Sylvia sniffled with a small amount of joy as she heard the message her husband had unknowingly sent her. The Doctor slightly smiled at her. He then walked away.

Wilfred and his daughter then approached Donna with the envelope. "Oh, don't tell me, it's a bill." she said half-seriously, taking the envelope. "Just what I need right now." she said as she opened it.

"A lottery ticket?" she said in confusion, obviously not knowing what that ticket was worth. "What a cheap present! Who was that?" she asked her mother and grandfather, who were looking at each other in amazement. "Still, you never know." Donna shrugged. "Its triple rollover this week. I might get lucky." she said before pocketing the ticket in her bosom. "Oi! Shawn!" she called for her husband. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule. I was told soup at 2:30."

Sylvia and Wilfred looked at each other again, laughing as they did so. After a moment, Wilfred then turned to The Doctor one last time, before saluting the Time Lord as his eyes began to tear up. He just turned around and entered the TARDIS. As the blue police box began to disappear, Wilfred let his tears flow freely, saddened by the fact he will never see him again and by The Doctor's loneliness and impending death.

* * *

"We're late now. I've missed it." Jackie Tyler whined to her daughter as they both moved around in the snow, heading for their apartment.

"Midnight. Mickey's going to be calling me everything. This is your fault." Rose Tyler playfully blamed her mother.

"No, it's not. It's Jimbo. He said he was gonna give us a lift and then he said his axle broke. I can't help it." Jackie defended.

"Get rid of him, Mum. He's useless."

"Listen to you. With a mechanic!" Rose's mother shot back. "Be fair, though. My time of life, I'm not gonna do much better."

Rose stopped and looked at her mother with surprise in her eyes as she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Don't be like that." she said after a pause. "Never know. There could be someone out there."

Jackie looked at her daughter, feeling a bit better. "Maybe, one day." she said.

Rose smiled at her mom before Jackie said, "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!" Rose said back, smiling as she hugged her mom.

"Don't stay out all night." Rose warned.

"Try and stop me." Jackie jested at her daughter, before both of them went to their respective destinations.

The Doctor watched the entire exchange from his hiding spot. This was his last stop. And the whole time, he couldn't take his eyes off of Rose. He wanted so desperately to rush towards her and hug her. But he couldn't. This is before Rose met him in his ninth incarnation. He couldn't risk losing all those memories and adventures he had with her. They we're all he had left of Rose.

Suddenly, as she walked past his hiding spot, the pain from the radiation became too much for him. He grunted in slight agony. Rose heard him and looked toward him, asking, "You all right, mate?" she asked worriedly.

Panic started to settle in as The Doctor kept his face partially hidden in the shadows. He tried to remain calm as he tried to figure out how to fix this.

"Yeah." he answered simply.

"Too much to drink?" Rose asked with a slight grin.

"Something like that."

"Maybe it's time you went home."

"Yeah" he pretended to agree.

"Anyway, Happy New Year." Rose stated with an even bigger smile.

"And you."

Rose began to turn towards the building her apartment was in before he asked, "What year is this?"

Rose spun around and laughed. "Blimey, how much have you had?"

The Doctor just shrugged. _"Just about 500,000 rads of radiation. Nothing too serious." _he thought to himself.

"2005, January the 1st." Rose answered.

_"__This is the year we met."_ he realized. "2005?" Rose nodded. "Tell you what." he continued, "I bet you're gonna have a really great year." he told her with a certain glee in his voice, still keeping to the shadows.

"Yeah?" she asked with a smile. There was something about this man that was just so mysterious and magnetic. She couldn't help but smile at him.

He simply nodded in response.

"See ya." she said as she ran into the building, with The Doctor smiling as he watched her go.

He then let out the breath that he had been holding as the radiation continued to ravage his body. Taking deep breathes, The Doctor made his way to the TARDIS as fast as he could, each step feeling like they were made out of concrete. His body was trying to regenerate, but he couldn't let it until he was in the TARDIS. He tried his best to get to the TARDIS but the pain was too much. He couldn't bear it.

"Ahh!" he exclaimed as he fell to the snow-covered ground. As The Doctor lifted his head up off the ground, every breath he took was ragged. As he shut his eyes from the pain, The Doctor felt his body begin to regenerate. But then it halted, as he heard some sort of . . . singing?

He lifted his head just a little bit more and saw Ood Sigma. "We will sing to you, Doctor. The Universe will sing you to your sleep." he spoke before pocketing his translator. All of a sudden, The Doctor heard all the other Oods back on their home begin to sing to him, using their thoughts.

_Vale Decem ad Aeternam di Meliora_

As he heard the Ood sing, The Doctor felt happy that in these last few moments, he was being thanked. Empowered by the knowledge that he was not alone, The Doctor got back up to his feet and began to walk to the TARDIS again, ignoring the pain this time.

As the other Ood sang, Ood Sigma pulled out his translator orb again. "This song is ending," he said solemnly, "but the story _never_ ends."

He finally reached the blue box and entered, the Ood still singing in his mind. They would stay with him until the end.

The TARDIS could feel her thief begin to change again. She felt his pain at leaving all of this behind. She was saddened that he was leaving as well, but she will never abandon her precious thief. She would stay with him forever.

The Doctor walked across the little bridge to the console unit, leaning on the rails for support. When he reached the end, he took of his coat and threw it to rest on one of the pillars. Once that was done, he looked at his right hand and saw that it had begun to glow with golden energy once again. The Doctor stared at it for a while, as tears began to form. He then circled around the console and pull a lever, sending his ship into Earth's orbit.

As the TARDIS circled the Earth, The Doctor thought back on all of his friends and companions. Martha. She was always there for him, even when he hadn't returned her feelings. She never lost faith in him, even after she had left. He was glad that she found that special someone.

Donna. She may not remember him or their adventures, but he does. He always will. There had been times when her fiery temper had kinda scared him. But deep down, beneath all that, there was a kind, compassionate, and generous person. He'll always miss her.

And Rose. She had been his light in the darkness. She had made him a better person. She always knew just what to say when he felt mad, scared, or distressed. Rose had made him laugh. Rose showed what it was like to be human. And she showed him what it was like to love again. Out of all his companions, she was the one he thought about most.

As he thought about all of his adventures, all of his companions, he began to breathe heavily as he choked back his sobs. In that moment, he said five words. His last words. The words that embodied his sadness and despair.

"**I don't want to go**." The Doctor gasped, now letting his tears begin to fall.

As soon as he said these words, his body had begun to glow more fiercely. Looking down at his hands, he saw that the energy had begun to flow from his each of his fingers, forming small finger-like rays of light. As his tears fell, The Tenth Doctor panted heavily as the glow became fiercer and fiercer, until he closed his eyes and the energy from his body exploded with the force of a ten story rocket.

He heard the door windows shatter and he heard the console and the room suffer small explosions of their own, forming fires. He also heard what sounded like one of the pillars breaking and landing on the console.

The pain was worse than any other regeneration. It was most likely because he held back the regeneration for so long. He didn't know why he was holding back his scream. There was no one around to hear it. He soon felt his body and bones and every single cell changing. Morphing him into another person. But he also felt his personality change as well. This was the hardest part. Soon he would be gone forever.

He couldn't take it anymore. He screamed in unbearable agony. But it was short lived because in a few moments it stopped. And there he stood, a new man.

This man had long, brown hair, green eyes, and a rather large chin. His features were also softer than his predecessor's. He also had large ears, but they were hidden because of his hair.

Gasping, The Eleventh Doctor looked at his legs. "Legs!" he squeaked, adjusting to his new vocal chords. He then grabbed his right leg and lifted it, now standing on one foot. "I've still got legs!" he exclaimed happily before kissing his leg. "Clothes." said The Eleventh Doctor, patting his clothes to check if they were still there. They were. As he looked at his arms and hands, his green eyes widened in excitement. "Arms, hands! Ooh, fingers! Lots of fingers!" he exclaimed, wiggling his fingers as he observed them. He then felt his ears. "Ears, yes." Then his eyes. "Eyes, two." Then his nose. "I've had worse." he shrugged. "Chin." he gasped feeling his large chin. "Blimey!" he said in response.

"Hair." He began to panic as he felt his long hair. "I'm a _girl_!" he cried indignantly.

_"__Wait a moment."_ thought The Eleventh Doctor, now feeling his throat. Suddenly, he found his Adam's apple. "No. No! I'm not a girl." he said as relief spread throughout his new body. He then pulled down his long hair over his eyes. "And still not _ginger_!" he proclaimed frustratingly. But wait! Wasn't there something he forgot?

"There's something else. There's something important. I'm . . ." The Eleventh Doctor tapped both his temples furiously, trying to figure out what it was. "I'm . . . I'm . . ."

The TARDIS lurched, throwing her thief to the floor, making him laugh in realization. "Ha! Crashing!" he whooped in glee as his ship spiraled out of control. "Ha-ha! Woo-hoo-hooo" he exclaimed as he gripped onto the console. He didn't know where he was crashing, but he knew it was the start of a brand new adventure. A brand new life.

**_"_****_GERONIMOOOOOOOO!"_**

Thus ended the life of The Tenth Doctor, and the life of The Eleventh Doctor began.

* * *

**Author's Note: First off, I'd like to point out that the Time Lady that The Doctor saw ****_was_**** his mother. Russel T Davies confirmed it, as did the actor who played her. And finally, I hope you enjoyed this. See ya'll soon. :) ALLONS-Y !**


	13. Chapter 13

As Clara walked down the stairs of the bell tower, down into its basement, she hoped as hard as she could that she had not been gone as long as last time. The last time The Doctor had tricked her into going back home, she had been gone for only a few minutes. But for him, it had been 300 years! He had not seen Clara for 300 _years_! And when she had seen him last, he had aged considerably. How she had managed to hold onto the TARDIS on the outside, in the Time Vortex, without being driven mad, was a complete mystery to both her and The Doctor. It was impossible. Well, she was the Impossible Girl after all.

As she moved past the last step, she heard a scraping sound. Like metal against wood. She looked toward the source of the sound to see that it was precisely that. A small, wooden dog was being created from a lump of wood. But when Clara saw who was whittling, her heart nearly broke in two.

The man she saw was an old man. She couldn't see his face, as he was too focused on his work, but it was unmistakably him. Same ears and that same posture he had when he was sitting down, thinking. It was The Doctor. He continued to whittle as he leaned back in his rocking chair, sitting in front of the crack in the wall. It was as if he was still contemplating what to do.

Hearing someone approaching, The Doctor asked, "Barnable?"

"Clara." she replied after a pause. The Doctor, in his surprise, dropped the wood and his knife as he looked toward Clara.

She now saw how old he was. His hair had now turned completely white and wavy, with a bald spot on the back of his head that Clara had noticed earlier. His face also had numerous wrinkles on them. And the _chin_. Blimey, that chin had just stayed the same.

"Hello, Doctor." Clara spoke softly, giving a sad smile. The Doctor then took off his glasses, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Were you always so young?" he asked curiously.

The corners of Clara's lips twitched upwards. Always the jokester. "No, that was you." she joked back.

But as she moved closer, smiling as she did so, she saw that he didn't mean it as a joke. He had actually forgotten in his old age. "Ah." he said, remembering that she was right. He then took her hand and kissed her knuckles, relieved at seeing her again.

Suddenly, they both heard a Dalek drone's voice boom from outside. **_"Seek The Doctor."_** it ordered its fellow drones.

They both chose to ignore the emotionless, soulless voice, as if it never spoke. Clara then kneeled down shaking The Doctor's hand as she did so. "Merry Christmas." she spoke softly, taking out the fire cracker that she had brought with her. "Merry Christmas." he spoke in an almost-whisper. They each took one end of the cracker and they both attempted to pull. But The Doctor was not strong enough to sufficiently pull on his end. Noticing this, Clara said, "Hey, it's okay. It's all right, don't worry." She then put her other hand on his and helped him pull. It gave off a small little pop.

"Ah! Is there a joke? Ha!" The Doctor asked, leaning back into his chair. Clara grasped the little piece of paper that fell out of the cracker and read: "Extract from _Thoughts on a Clock_ by Eric Ritchie Jr."

"Is it a knock-knock one? Those are the best." The Doctor asked, in his slight delirium.

Clara shook her head, leaning her head on his knee as she did so. "I don't think so." she answered.

"Well, read it. Go on." he said hurriedly.

Clara shifted her head on his knee again, getting more comfortable before reading the piece of paper.

"_And know it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now. The clock is striking Twelve's._"

As she read, Clara felt a sliver of hope enter her heart. There was still a chance he might live.

The Doctor, however, merely said, "I don't get it." Clara couldn't help but smile slightly.

**_"_****_DOCTOR!"_** boomed the Supreme Dalek's voice. Clara and The Doctor looked upwards, the strength and loudness of the voice practically shaking their bones. **_"THE DOCTOR WILL BE BROUGHT. THE DALEKS DEMAND THE DOCTOR!" _**finished the Supreme Dalek. Suddenly, a young man rushed down into the basement. "They're here! The Daleks, we can't stop them." he said in a slightly panicked tone. "They want you." he finished.

"Oh, all right Barnable." The Doctor replied before looking back in confusion. "Are you Barnable?" he asked.

"No, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded his head. "It's okay Barnable, don't worry." he responded, forgetting the young man's answer. "I have got a plan." he reassured him, tapping his nose as he did so. "Off you pop." he said. The young man did as The Doctor said, quickly leaving to most likely find his family.

As soon as he left, The Doctor turned to Clara. "I haven't got a plan," he admitted, "but people love it when I say that." He finished as he grabbed his cane and began to stand up.

"Doctor, what are you going to do?" Clara asked, worriedly.

"Oh, I don't know." he groaned as he stood up. "Talk very fast, hope something good happens, take the credit. That's generally how it works." he answered as he walked toward the stairs.

"Doctor-" Clara began before being cut off.

"Not this time, though. This is it."

"No!"

"Yes!" The Doctor said firmly. "We saw the future, Clara. This is how it ends." he finished. Clara remembered that day where they went to the future of Trenzalore. She remembered what the planet's surface had been made of. Graves. Hundreds, no, _thousands_ of graves covering the entire planet for miles and miles as far as the eye could see. But at the very center, was the biggest grave of them all: The TARDIS. It was The Doctor's grave. When she had seen it, Clara had felt nothing but pure horror creep through her veins like snakes, into her heart, her very _soul_. She had refused to believe what her eyes had been trying to show her. The implications of what she had seen were far too terrible to even consider. And even now, she still wouldn't accept that The Doctor would die.

"Change it." Clara ordered. The Doctor just gave a small, little 'ha' in response. But Clara would simply not give up. "Like Tasha said, change the future." she begged.

Her cries fell on deaf ears, as The Doctor continued to walk towards the staircase, accepting his fate. "I could have once, when there were Time Lords. Not anymore."

He was able to take a few steps before they both distantly heard the Daleks again. **_"Locate The Doctor." _**a drone continued to order its inferiors. Clara moved to The Doctor, determined to keep him safe. But he held out a hand, silently telling her to stop. "No. You're going to stay here." he demanded. "Promise me you will."

"Why?!" she tried to asked angrily, but her voice broke as tears began to form in her big, brown orbs.

"I'll be keeping you safe. One last victory. Allow me that." he begged. "Give me that, my Impossible Girl." he asked again, fondly using his nickname for her, before pulling her into a hug. "Thank you. And goodbye." he whispered into her ear before giving her a kiss on her temple and then he, reluctantly, let her slip out of his arms.

As they pulled away, The Doctor noticed Clara had let loose the tears she had been trying very hard to hold back. Wanting to linger just a little while longer with perhaps one of his most faithful companions, he rested his hand against her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb as he did so. Clara leaned into his palm, feeling her Doctor's hand for what was probably, the last time.

He then grudgingly pulled his hand away and resumed walking towards the staircase, his cane clanking against the ground with a rhythmic _tap, tap, tap_. "The trouble with Daleks is, they take so long to say anything. I'll probably die of boredom before they shoot me." he said before ascending the staircase, intending to go to the top of the bell tower. As he climbed the staircase, Clara just stood where she was.

As soon as he left, she gasped and covered her mouth, pacing around the room in worry. Clara couldn't believe that this was happening! She simply couldn't believe that he was just giving up. The whole time she had known him, he had nearly always refused to accept defeat. He had always found another way when all seemed hopeless. Now, he was undoubtedly walking towards his death without caring how it would affect everyone around him.

**_"_****_THE DOCTOR IS REQUIRED!" _**proclaimed the Supreme Dalek. As Clara listened to the thunderous voice, she felt the ground begin to slightly vibrate. She then realized that a Dalek ship must be flying just over the town. Starting to panic, she began to rack her brain, thinking of a way to save The Doctor. Then her eyes fell onto the crack in the wall. She immediately moved towards it. "Listen to me, you lot! _Listen!_" she spoke to the Time Lords on the other side of the crack. "Help him. Help him change the future. Do it! Do something." she begged. But their only response was silence.

Frustrated, Clara turned away from the crack, trying to think of a way to convince the Time Lords to help their brother.

**_"_****_DOCTOR!"_** the Supreme Dalek exclaimed, growing impatient.

But what the Supreme had just said sealed the Daleks doom. Clara had heard him. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards in realization, before turning back to the Lords of Time.

"You've been asking a question, and it's time someone told you you've been getting it wrong." Clara said as she moved closer to the shining crack. Once she reached it, she kneeled down so that her face was mere inches from it. "His name," she whispered, "his name is The Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him, and if you love him, and you should, help him. Help him."

Silence.

Feeling that their one hope was now gone, Clara simply stood up and began to walk away. Suddenly, she heard a crumbling noise. She whirled around to see that the crack had disappeared. Unsure what this meant or what to do, Clara left the tower's basement and went outside to join the rest of the townsfolk. They all looked up and saw The Doctor on the bell tower.

"Sorry I'm a bit slow. I may not be at my best right now." he told the Supreme Dalek.

**_"_****_YOU ARE DYING, DOCTOR."_** The Supreme was not shouting now, but the audio transmitters on the Dalek ship still made the Supreme's voice incredibly loud.

"Yes, I'm dying." The Doctor responded impatiently as he sat down on a chair. "You've been trying to kill me for centuries, and here I am, dying of old age. If you want something done, do it yourself." he said, sounding bored.

**_"_****_YOU WILL DIE, AND THE TIME LORDS WILL NEVER RETURN." _**stated the Supreme Dalek in its deep, monotonic voice.

The Doctor was getting irritated now. Why can't they just shut up and kill him already? This is completely ridiculous. "You still can't work up the courage to shoot me, can you? You're still worried _I've got something_ _up my sleeve!_" he shouted back, pointing his cane at the ship with his arm shaking as he did so. The Supreme remained silent, unwilling to confirm The Doctor's suspicions. "Well, you knock yourselves out, boys." he stated nonchalantly after a slight pause, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I've got nothing this time." he proclaimed truthfully.

Upon hearing this, the Dalek starfighters began to fire at the town, blowing buildings, windows, and people into oblivion. Hearing the carnage, The Doctor despaired at the fact that he could do nothing to stop the Daleks and also that after all this time protecting Trenzalore, it would all just end like this. Closing his eyes, The Doctor began muttering to himself, prepared to accept his fate.

Suddenly, amidst all the noise and destruction and chaos, he heard a whooshing sound that forced him to look up and see the crack, which currently resided in the sky. The Daleks, in their single-minded determination to kill The Doctor, were completely oblivious to the crack, continuing to destroy the town. The Doctor however, gazed intently at the crack, furrowed his eyes as he did so. What was happening? The Time Lords couldn't be returning. He hadn't spoken his name.

After a moment, The Doctor started to hear a familiar shimmering sound. A sound that he was certain he would never hear again. As his eyes began to slightly widen, golden energy began to pour out of the crack. The Doctor's mouth opened slightly in amazement and that was all he needed to do. As soon as his mouth opened, the energy rushed forward into his mouth and spread throughout his body.

Closing his mouth, The Doctor's face took on a slightly humorous expression as his eyes widened in realization. He then felt his old, withered hands begin to tingle as regeneration energy began to flow from his body.

The Supreme Dalek, still oblivious to what was happening, boomed, **_"YOU WILL DIE NOW, DOCTOR. THIS IS THE END OF YOU!"_**

The Doctor barely heard the tumultuous voice, as he lifted his now-glowing hand, staring at it in complete and utter astonishment. He heard another whooshing noise, signaling the crack's disappearance from the sky. Clara had seen the crack and energy. As she stared at the bell tower with a sad smile, she knew that everything would be okay. As The Doctor began to slowly stand up, the Supreme Dalek continued his rant, **_"THE RULES OF REGENERATION ARE KNOWN. YOU HAVE EXPENDED ALL YOUR LIVES."_**

The Doctor perked up at this, turning to stare at the massive ship hovering over the town. "Sorry, what did you say?" he asked excitedly. "Did you mention _the rules_? Now, listen. Bit of advice. Tell me the truth if you think you know it. Lay down the law if you're feeling brave. But, Daleks, never, _ever_, tell me _the rules!_" he exclaimed, twirling his cane around before starting to laugh manically in happiness, skipping around as he did so.

On the ship, a Dalek drone approached the Supreme, before urgently speaking. **_"Scanners are detecting a high concentration of regeneration energy. Source: The Doctor."_**

Though every single Dalek was incapable of feeling any emotion, other than hate, somewhere deep inside their genetic code, deep inside their DNA, there was a small spark of the one emotion that can never be completely erased and that spark was _fear_. And now, within every single Dalek, including the Supreme, that one, tiny spark was _burning_ with the intensity of a thousand suns.

**_"_****_EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! THE DOCTOR IS REGENERATING! THE DOCTOR IS REGENERATING!" _**boomed the Supreme's voice. Upon hearing their leader's warning, the Dalek starfighters ceased firing at the town and immediately moved to the bell tower to kill The Doctor. But as they fired their weapons, they found that their targeting systems were malfunctioning. The regeneration energy was interfering with their instruments. They were firing blind.

Meanwhile, as The Doctor laughed in excitement, the clock on the bell tower struck Twelve and the bells began ringing. "Oh, look at this. Regeneration Number Thirteen! We're breaking some serious science her, boys! I tell you what, it's gonna be a _whopper! HAHA!_" he announced as the clock struck Twelve one last time.

Outraged at this turn of events, the Supreme furiously bellowed, **_"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!" _**They had come so close to destroying the Daleks greatest enemy, yet somehow, The Doctor had regained his regenerations.

"HA! You think you can stop me now, Daleks?! HAHA! If you want my life, **_COME. AAAAND. GEEEET IIIIIT!_**" challenged The Doctor. He then began swinging his right arm around like a guitarist would, and then threw it to the side in a half spread-eagle stance. Gargantuan amounts of golden energy stream out of his hand at an impossible speed, which then hit a Dalek starfighter, causing it to crash into the ground.

Clara quickly turned to the townsfolk behind her, who were mesmerized by the spectacle in front of them. "Get inside! Quick, quick!" she warned them. Her warning, along with the ship crashing into the ground, snapped everyone out of their reverie and they all moved to the church, with Clara urgently ushering them along. She knew what was about to happen and she had to get everyone out of harm's way.

With his hand still releasing the golden energy, with a small amount of it in an almost liquid form, The Doctor twirled his other hand before thrusting it upwards, hitting another starfighter and completing the spread-eagle pose. "HAHA! Love from Gallifrey, boys!" he announced before crossing his arms, temporarily stopping the flow of energy, and then he threw his head backwards and resuming his previous pose with energy now coming out of his hands and engulfing his head.

The energy that had come from his head drilled into the Dalek mothership, causing it to literally explode into atoms. It then commenced to cause a shockwave which spread into the town, scattering everything that wasn't nailed down, and out into the wild, spreading snow everywhere.

As soon as everything quieted down, Clara and the people who had gathered into the church exited to see that the town was a mess. Dalek starfighters and drones were scattered everywhere, along with bits of brick, wood, stone, and metal. Clara quickly looked around for The Doctor before turning to the bell tower to see that it had been completely destroyed.

As the people shifted through the wreckage to reclaim lost treasures, she kept searching and searching. "Doctor?!" she yelled. Her eyes then fell on the TARDIS, and saw that the telephone was hanging out of its place. She gingerly took the phone and put it back where it belonged, before stepping into the TARDIS. As she entered the police box, she saw that the floor was littered with The Doctor's clothes. Upon further inspection of the console room, she saw a bowl on the TARDIS controls. A bowl of . . . fish fingers and custard? Clara swiftly pushed her curiosity aside in her determination to find The Doctor. Suddenly, she heard footsteps ascending the stairs behind her.

Apprehension grasped her as she held her breath before turning around to see The Doctor. But with the same face. He was young again!

"Doctor!" she laughed in relief.

"Hello."

Clara held her hands together before speaking. "You're young again. You're okay. You didn't even change your face."

"Ha!" There was no humor in his voice as he clapped his hands together. "It's started." He explained. Clara felt her heart break as she slowly lost her smile. "I can't stop it now. This is just the reset." he continued, gesturing towards his face. "A whole new regeneration cycle. Ooohh!" he exclaimed, seeing the bowl of fish fingers and custard, picking it up, and then drank its contents. Clara couldn't help but laugh lightly at his antics.

"Taking a bit longer. Just breaking it in." he finished before slightly limping toward a lever and pulling it with an audible grunt, sending the TARDIS into space.

He then turned towards Clara with a look of seriousness and curiosity.

"It all just disappears, doesn't it? Everything you are, gone in a moment like breath on a mirror." he began, holding his hand open before closing it into a fist for emphasis, before continuing. "Any moment now, he's a-comin'." he said with a slight shake of his head.

"But who's coming?" Clara asked shakily.

"The _Doctor_." he answered with a small grin, leaning forward.

Clara struggled to keep her tears contained and she was succeeding, but only barely. She didn't want whoever was coming. She wanted this Doctor. _Her _Doctor. "You. _You are_ The Doctor."

"Yup," The Doctor agreed with a grunt, his small grin growing into a sad smile as his face began to gleam with sweat, it could have been mistaken for tears, "and I always will be." He then held up his now glowing hand, staring at it solemnly. "But times change and so must I." His voice slightly cracked before, suddenly, the console room was littered with children's drawings. The Doctor then saw, to his amazement, a little girl in a red snow cap and black coat run past him and up the stairs.

"Amelia!" he exclaimed in pure, utter joy, smiling as he did so.

Clara looked around the console room and saw no one else. Nor could she see the child's drawings. "Who's Amelia?" she asked The Doctor.

"The first face this face saw." he answered slightly cryptically, as he watched Amelia run around the TARDIS, giggling as she did so. As he watched her, The Doctor was close to tears.

He watched her for just one more minute before turning back to Clara, spreading out his hands. "We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people, all through our lives. And that's okay, that's good, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be." he finished, circling his hands backwards as he spoke for emphasis, before clasping them together.

"I will not forget one line of this. Not _one day_. I swear. I will always remember when The Doctor was me." He proclaimed with a smile. Clara slightly shook her head in denial as a tear broke through her eyes.

The Eleventh Doctor then looked to see Amelia one last time, and his eyes widened slightly with his mouth agape as he saw her, not as the little girl, but as the grown up he had come to respect and adore. She slowly descended the stairs, before she finally stood in front of him. She then broke into a great, loving smile. "Raggedy Man." Amy said fondly, raising her hand to cup her Doctor's cheek. The Eleventh Doctor returned the favor, smiling as he felt her smooth skin in his palm, a single solitary tear of happiness escaping from his eyes. "Goodnight." Amy said before disappearing, The Eleventh Doctor now cupping empty air.

It was time.

Clara gasped as she saw him untangle his bowtie and slip it out of his collar, before letting it fall to the floor. He then closed his eyes.

"No, no!" she cried, no longer able to keep her despair at bay as she took two steps towards him. She held her hand out towards his now glowing and shimmering one, the two almost touching. "Please don't change." Clara begged, whispering as she did so.

The Eleventh Doctor gave her one last cocky smile before throwing his head back and the regeneration energy engulfed him, strangely, not barely giving off any excess energy. It ended as quickly as it began, with The Twelfth Doctor standing before her.

She stumbled back into another console, her eyes wide in shock as she took in his new appearance. He was an old man, not young like his two predecessors, but not that old. He had short, curly almost silvery hair. He had bags under his eyes and his face was at the beginning stages of showing wrinkles. And finally, he had deep, penetrating, hawk-like, olive green eyes.

He stepped toward her with slight curiosity before stumbling back, grasping his right side. "_Kidneys_!" he exclaimed in a Scottish accent. "I've got new _kidneys_." he repeated before his face scrunched up in annoyance. "I don't like the _color_!"

"Of your kidneys?" Clara asked in a slightly squeaky voice. All of a sudden, the TARDIS began lurching, throwing her occupants around. "What's happening?!" Clara asked.

"We're probably crashing. Oh!" The Twelfth Doctor said, still dizzy from his regeneration.

Clara looked around, half panicked, half exasperated. This had to happen right now?

"Into _what_?!" she exclaimed.

"Just stay calm." he said, pushing seemingly random buttons as he did so. "Just one question." he said in a slightly breathless voice, before looking Clara in the eye. "Would you happen to know how to fly this thing?"

Clara just stared at him in shock, panic etched all over her face.

Thus ended the life of The Eleventh Doctor and the life of The Twelfth Doctor began.


End file.
